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First published in social sciences, v13 (2024) published by MDPI. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13090484

Document Type

Article

Publication Version

Published Version

Keywords

ACEs, adverse childhood experiences, childhood adversity, displaced person, minoritized populations, social inequities, systemic inequality

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Social Sciences

Volume

13

Issue

9

First Page

1

Last Page

19

Abstract

Conflict-related forced displacement, characterized by the experiences of witnessing violent acts, bombing, torture, separation, and the execution of family members, can severely and negatively impact a child’s social determinants of health (SDOH). These experiences are both direct and indirect forms of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and urgent attention is needed to understand the impact of forced displacement on children, who are a vulnerable group, and to develop interventions for all systems that influence the child. This phenomenological qualitative study involved in-depth interviews based on the experiences of returnees (n = 20), who are parents of children who experienced forced displacement. This study underscores the direct and indirect impacts of forced displacement on children, with two key themes identified from the data analysis, by concluding that forced displacement: (i) disrupts the positive SDOH of children, and (ii) children’s coping mechanisms are influenced by primary and secondary exposure to trauma. The direct effects are visible through the impact of forced displacement on children’s mental health as a result of exposure to traumatic material. In contrast, the indirect effects of forced displacement on children are influenced by its subsequential effect on their parents and their community. The study also illuminates systemic inequalities, with participants recommending steps that governmental and non-governmental bodies can take to address this phenomenon.

Department

Department of Social Work

Original Publication Date

9-12-2024

Object Description

1 PDF File

DOI of published version

10.3390/socsci13090484

Repository

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

Copyright

©2024 The Author(s) This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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