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Annotated Bibliography
How do Children in Central America and Syria Respond Psychologically to Their Environment
in Times of War and Conflict?
Yesika Sorto Andino
Professor Malcolm Campbell
Honors English 1103
October 24, 2016

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Ammos, Deborah. Aid Workers: Syrian Refugees Unable to Help Their Kids Cope. NPR,
2013. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
This article is from NPR, National Public Radio, and it talks about the Jordanian aids
who provide assistance to Syrian families that do not live in refugee camps. The article
also talks about how children have been psychologically affected by war. The project is
aimed at treating traumatized Syrian children. The article also presents a specific example
of a family that is receiving assistance. The family that they visited has a young daughter
that has experienced negative psychological effects due to the conflict. The therapist also
touches on the therapy tactics used for children and many demonstrate the horrific
experiences the children had to endure. When children were asked to draw as a form of
therapy, they would draw the reality of their experiences, such as children being killed,
bombs, and visuals of war. The article also touches on how many children are displaced
away from their homes and away from their parents, which also contributes to the
negative psychological effects. This article is objective because it presents what the
psychologists are trying to do to help the children that were affected mentally by war. It
does present an emotional side to the issue, which can be geared more towards people
who believe that we should help these children. The information presented allows the
reader to gain an insight as to how these children act on a daily basis. The mentioning of
the young, little girl that latched on to her father is a subtle yet direct way of
demonstrating how war has caused this child to be more cautious of strangers. And then,
through the mentioning of one of the methods children receive therapy, demonstrates how
children view the world around them and how this affects their actions. The source comes
from NPR, which is a popular news source. NPR is a well-established public radio, and it

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has won many awards such as photography and journalism awards. The writer, Deborah
Ammos, studies the Middle East, so she is well versed in this topic. The whole purpose of
this article is to demonstrate the way psychologists are trying to help families and
children who may not have access to mental health aid. This article analyzes the manner
in which people are helping the children cope with the traumatic events. This source was
helpful because it demonstrates a different point of view of the issue I am trying to
dissect. Like stated before, it mentions how people are trying to help these children
through therapy sessions, especially if they cannot receive aid because they are not in
refugee camps. The sections that include the talks of the drawings that the children did
will be included in my paper because it demonstrates the psychological effects that war
has had on Syrian children. The article does focus on what the psychologists are trying to
do to help the children cope with the events, but since my focus is on the psychological
effects that children have to cope with and not what others are trying to do to help these
children, signifies that I will probably not use a substantial amount of information from
this article for my research paper. Overall, though, it did provide a good insight towards
what others are trying to do to aid families.
Richman, Naomi. Annotation: Children in Situations of Political Violence. Child Psychology
and Psychiatry 34 (1993): 1286-302. Web. 13 Oct. 2016.
This research was conducted by the Association of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and
it focuses on how children respond in times of political violence. The research analyzes
what types of children suffer from psychological impairment. It analyzes the various
manners in which children can be psychologically affected by war. The short term
responses that were analyzed demonstrated that anxiety, sleep problems, loss of appetite

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were common among children. The long term effects that are similar to those of adults
included impairment of developmental skills, flashbacks of traumatic events, and anxiety.
The report also talks about how children are exposed to conflict. It states that many
children are forced to fight in wars with the military, like in El Salvador. The research
also touches on how people can help. It states that children need assistance from the
countries that are receiving them, but also from their native countries. They also need
psychological assistance. This was published in the Journal of Psychology and
Psychiatry, and its credibility arises from this being the official journal for the
Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Naomi Richman is a psychologist
with a focus on child behavior, so she has experience and knowledge in regards to child
behavior in violent political situations. She has published many more reports in the
Journal of Psychology and Psychiatry, and has collaborated with other psychologists that
focus on children. Also, her expertise and the focus on different parts of the world that are
undergoing conflict, including in Central America, provides an analysis disparities and
similarities of how children respond to conflict throughout the world. The research in this
report is extensive and it touches on many parts of the world, including Central American
countries, which is what my research is based on. It provides an extensive look as to what
types of conflict these children are going through, and how they respond to their
environments as a result of the conflicts they are experiencing.
Sirin, Selcuk., Roger-Sirin, Lauren. The Education and Mental Health Needs of Syrian
Refugees Migration Policy Institute. Oct. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
This source arises from the Migration Policy Institute. The report explores the
educational setbacks that refugee children face, but also the way children cope with

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traumatic events and how these traumatic events are negatively affecting their mental
well-being. The report describes the state of Syria and how conflict arose over time, and
how that conflict is now affecting families and children. The educational needs that
refugee children deserve is also expressed. The education that refugee children are
receiving is not substantial and it is unfair that they are not given the right to receive an
education that is valuable and substantial. Also, the resources allocated to countries that
are trying to help child refugees is not substantial. The report touches on what my
research is based on, the mental health among Syrian refugee children. Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common things that arises after war, especially
among children who have had to endure the war. Depression and PTSD become even
more apparent as time goes on because the refugee children do not have an adult figure to
help them cope with the situation. The report ties in education to the mental health of
refugee children. As refugee children are isolated from educational resources, their
chances of feeling marginalized increases. Research was conducted in a refugee camp to
analyze the amount of children experiencing trauma and assessing their mental health
needs. The research conducted included the use of the Stressful Life Events
Questionnaire and it listed traumatic experiences that could have happened to these
children and it evaluated how these children were coping with the trauma. The research
led to the conclusion that many of these children that came from war stricken countries
like Syria were more likely to have depression or PTSD. The research then went on to
address the manner in which refugee children would be aided in the countries that they
resettled in. The research conducted is objective because it is quantitative. It does shift
the perspective towards how Syrian children are affected by war, and it presents numbers

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that make the audience feel sympathetic towards the children. The report is from the
Migration Policy Institute, which is a non-partisan source that examines the migration
patterns of various demographics. The main author, Selcuk Sirin, is an applied
psychologist. Selcuk Sirin has also published works in other top journals, such as the
Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Review of Educational Research. Selcuk
Sirin focuses on child development and the psychological issues that may arise during
conflict; this establishes Selcuk Sirins credibility, and the credibility of the entire source.
The report conveys the emotional aspect, but it states the facts concerning PTSD among
Syrian child refugees. Conducting the research in an actual refugee camp and assessing
the needs of the children provides a more accurate picture because these children have
recently escaped conflict zones and they are still undergoing and trying to cope with the
stress and trauma associated with war. Also, connecting education to the mental health of
children is extremely important. The connection distinguishes the source from my other
sources because all of the other sources talk about the direct effects that war/conflict has
on children and how they respond to the conflict. But this source connects it to another
issue that shows a correlation between how much access children have to education and
their mental well-being. This connection will be used in my research because it
demonstrates a large issue that was dismissed by other sources. The connection allowed
me to realize that the amount of education children are allowed to receive in these
conflict zones affects how children psychologically respond to their surroundings and
experiences. Also, the direct examination of a refugee camp produces statistics that can
support the question I am trying to answer. So the statistics and quantitative measures as

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well as the description of refugee childrens attitude will be important to include as
evidence.
Schafer, Alison Syrias Children How Conflict Can Harm Brain Development. World Vision
International. N.p., 13 Apr. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2016.
This article is from World Vision International. World Vision International examines the
Syria crisis that is occurring and it examines the responses that arise from the various
actors in this conflict. This article covers the manner in which childrens brain and mental
well-being will be affected by the war that is occurring in Syria. The article mentions that
many children are affected by the war through the loss of their parents or becoming
displaced in conflict zones. The Syrian war can alter and have a negative lasting impact
on a childs growing brain, and this in turn, leads to a negative impact on a child
psychologically. A childs learning abilities, ability to socially interact, and their ability to
control emotions can be drastically affected by conflict. Once again, this has an effect on
a child psychologically because if they cannot interact with others, then their
psychological well-being is altered. World Vision International is a source that aims to
provide advocacy towards areas in conflict zone, so this article that touches on how
children are being affected psychologically is biased. Even though this source is biased,
the article presents a factual view of the psychological effects that conflict has on Syrian
children. The article touches on how conflict can have a negative effect on brain
development, and this in turn, has an effect on the psychological state of the child. Even
though the source, World Vision International, is biased in the fact that it strives to protect
people who are in conflict zones, the article itself demonstrates how conflict has a direct
effect on the anatomy of the brain which leads to a child having difficulty on fostering a

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good mental health. World Vision establishes its credibility because they have worked
with children who have surpassed the conflict in Syria, and this organization has helped
the children cope with the psychological effects of war. Also, the author of the article,
Alison Schafer, is a senior programme advisor in the mental health and psychological
support sector, so she has experience in the psychological needs of children. She has also
worked with the World Health Organization and is part of the Humanitarian and
Emergency Affairs team. The author and the organization are credible because the author
is a psychologist and is experienced in the field of aiding children in conflict areas, and
so does World Vision International. This source was helpful because it analyzes what I
am researching; the psychological responses that children have in times of conflict. This
article was extremely helpful because it touches on the brain anatomy of a child, but then
it connects it to how it will affect the child on a daily basis, focusing on the
mental/psychological effects. This article made me analyze the manner in which the brain
plays a vital role in responding to conflict and how that translates to a childs mental
well-being. This article will play an important role in regards to my topic, and I will be
able to use this as evidence and support for why the brain plays a role in how children
respond to their environments, and in turn, how this affects them psychologically.