Psychological Impact of War on Children with Disabilities

Abstract

Children with disabilities in developing countries face significant societal discrimination, which worsens during armed conflicts. These conflicts put children at greater risk, often leaving them abandoned, unable to escape, and vulnerable to violence and psychological abuse. When they reach refugee or internally displaced persons’ camps, their challenges multiply, limiting their access to education, healthcare, and psychosocial support. Understanding these effects is critical for developing appropriate educational interventions in special education settings. Therefore, this paper evaluates the psychological impact of war on young learners with disabilities and its educational implications. However, to achieve this, the paper, through evaluative prescriptive methodology, derived data from a literature search of relevant publications of the PubMed and Google Scholar databases, using the key words: war, displacement, psychosocial impact, young learners with disabilities, special education, counselling, refugee camp, and internally displaced camp. Moreover, reference lists from relevant reviews were also examined for possible additional studies and assessed qualitatively. The findings reveal that their vulnerabilities increase the risk of trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, displacement, and loss of support systems, further disrupting their education. Nevertheless, the findings emphasize the need for specialized interventions, trauma-informed practices, and inclusive education policies to help these children regain emotional stability and maximize their educational outcomes. Nonetheless, addressing these challenges through targeted support can improve their well-being and learning opportunities, ensuring they receive the special education services they need despite the hardships of war.

Keywords: War, displacement, psychosocial impact, young learners with disabilities, special education, counselling, refugee camp, internally displaced camp.