Childhood Trauma in Lebanon - How this phenomenon is becoming more and more common

Opinion analysis by Maria Wehbe, Staff Writer

November 25th, 2021

A devastating economic crisis, a shortage of basic necessities and medications, a fuel crisis, the third biggest non-nuclear explosion in history, a sky-rocketing elevation in unemployment, and so much more: who wouldn’t feel traumatized when living in such harsh and difficult conditions? Today, Lebanon is going through the unimaginable, and every single citizen is feeling the devastation in one way or another. However, what is most heartbreaking, is seeing young children who are so pure and innocent live in a country that they anticipate leaving at such a young age because they are made aware of how bad the situation currently is. They’ve had to face what no child should ever have to, and this clearly affects their mental and physical development in a variety of ways. In fact, Childhood Trauma is defined as serious adverse childhood experiences, where the child experiences overwhelming and negative events and emotions. As per this definition, it is clear that most children in Lebanon are suffering from Childhood Trauma, and more so than not, it is almost a guarantee that they will continue to if they grow up here.

Indeed, it is clear that children in Lebanon today have lived through unimaginable and extreme events, whether it be in the past or in the present day. Whether you lived through the civil war as a child or you most recently survived the events that have been happening in Lebanon, one thing is for sure - children in Lebanon have always had to learn how to overcome and deal with trauma, whether it be in a good or bad way. Yet, it is important to note that the trauma that these children have to face are of different sorts, especially today - poverty, the shootings, losing loved ones to COVID-19, parents getting sick and not finding the medications to treat them due to the shortages and so on: this is the harsh reality of living in Lebanon today. Knowing that the parents had to go through what their children are currently going through has both positive and negative connotations to it.

With that being said, we might ask ourselves: what are the symptoms of Childhood Trauma? According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), traumatic experiences can initiate strong emotions and physical reactions that might still occur long after the traumatic experience. They may feel helplessness, terror and fear, as well as physiological symptoms such as vomiting, heart pounding and the loss of bowel or bladder control. It is worth mentioning that young children’s sense of safety depends on the perceived safety of their attachment figures: however, in this case, what are the children in Lebanon who have lost their parents to the country’s harsh conditions supposed to do? There seems to be no way out of this rabbit hole, no matter how hard one would try: they’ll always be affected in one way or another.

In fact, even before the deadly 4th of August Port Explosion, over 50% of Lebanese children and adolescents suffered from Anxiety and 13% suffered from Depression. “In a rapid needs assessment conducted by UNICEF and partners, which took place between the 10th and 17th of August of 2020, half of the respondents reported that children in their households were showing changes in behavior or signs of trauma or extreme stress following the explosions. These behaviors and symptoms can include severe anxiety; quietness or withdrawing from parents and families; nightmares and trouble sleeping; and aggressive behavior.”, according to UNICEF. To be diagnosed with such serious conditions at such a young age speaks volumes about how truly hard it is to be a Lebanese citizen today. A rapid mental health response is very much necessary in order to prevent the trauma from taking a toll on these innocent children’s lives in the long run, as well as teaching them how to cope with grief and loss when needed. It is clear that providing mental health services to these vulnerable individuals is very useful and necessary and everyone should be in favor of that – the parents, the teachers and the mental health professionals: “This is the first time since the explosion that I have come to see my son active, talkative and happy”, said the father of a child after his son’s first mental health session. It is so much more important and crucial than one might initially think, and we should all be taught how to accept this and, because sometimes, it is seen as a major taboo in Lebanese society, although it clearly should not be.

Mental Distress is very common among Lebanese Children especially given the excruciatingly painful living conditions in Lebanon, and that eventually turns into trauma. Children have the right to live in a safe environment and not have to worry about the things that are out of their control. It is also worth mentioning that the different social classes in Lebanon are affected by this in different ways: more particularly, refugees and the lower-class families have a harder time protecting their children from such traumas and cannot afford to provide their children with the help they need in such cases. Mental Health Services should be accessible to everyone, and no child should ever be left behind. “After a cruel childhood, one must reinvent oneself. Then reimagine the world”, said Mary Oliver. Indeed, living through childhood trauma will impact children for the rest of their lives, there is no denying that nor can we change that. What we can do is make sure that they receive all of the help they might need and support them in any way that we can, because they deserve nothing less than to live in a safe and healthy environment surrounded with love, joy and security.