The importance of investing in child and adolescent Mental Health in post-conflict Syria

There has been growing global recognition that in post-conflict settings, unaddressed trauma and consequent mental ill health can undermine societal peacebuilding and prosperity[1]. As the international community decides on what level of support it will offer to post-Assad Syria, ARK is advocating for integrated mental health, psychosocial support and stabilisation and peacebuilding initiatives, particularly for children and adolescents – who will go on to become Syria’s leaders.

Post-Assad Mental Health in Syria

After 14 years of ongoing warfare and chronic underinvestment in mental health services, Syria is facing a severe mental health crisis.  Years of constant exposure to violence and insecurity have weakened coping strategies in individuals and communities. The entrenched cultural stigma around mental health, associating it with being "possessed," discourages help-seeking for adult individuals and children. Additionally, societal gender norms, especially perceptions of masculinity, hinder men from accessing support. Barriers such as financial constraints and inadequate mental health infrastructure and specialised mental health personnel further complicate the availability of mental health resources[2].  

What about the younger generation?

Children and adolescents who have grown up in Syria are at greater risk of experiencing mental ill health, resulting from exposure to trauma, constant violence and profound social stressors. This includes separation from loved ones, witnessing and exposure to continued forms of violence, normalisation of violence as the status quo and in some cases involvement in armed groups2. These experiences can have a catastrophic impact on children’s behaviour and emotions, as well as on their learning and development in the short and long term.

For some children, ongoing exposure to violence and social stressors in childhood and teenage years has already led to maladaptive behaviours and psychosocial symptoms including bedwetting, anger, aggression, and withdrawal[3]. Exposure to prolonged trauma could lead to toxic stress, a state of being on constant high alert, which can result in lasting neurological changes, and long-term physical and mental ill health[4]. Prolonged states of toxic stress are believed to change the way an individual manages stressful situations and leads to shortened tolerance, increased anger, violence and aggression[5]. If they remain unaddressed, these maladaptive behaviours and psychosocial symptoms, coupled with ongoing social and environmental stressors, can contribute to continued cycles of violence. This in turn leads to severe mental ill health well into adulthood[6], limiting children and young peoples’ opportunities for success, educational retention and attainment, and securing income and employment, all vital for state recovery and stability.  

WHO reports that more than half of mental health disorders in adulthood start in childhood, but in most cases are undetected[7]. This underscores the importance of child and adolescent mental health and psychosocial support interventions. Without programmes at the individual, community and national levels to address the mental health and psychosocial symptoms of trauma, the likelihood of individuals and communities fully engaging in post-conflict recovery programmes diminish, thereby completely undermining stabilisation and peacebuilding efforts.

Integrating mental health into peacebuilding and stabilisation interventions

Recent research has identified that integrating mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and peacebuilding achieves greater effects than focussing on individual areas alone[8]. This ultimately represents greater value for money for actors investing in stabilisation, peacebuilding and MHPSS initiatives. The benefits are bi-directional. For example, if peacebuilding and stability initiatives are implemented without MHPSS considerations, trauma-impacted individuals may be unable or unwilling to engage. Equally, if MHPSS activities are implemented without considering social cohesion, wellbeing outcomes will be reduced, and individuals may be preoccupied with stressors associated with societal divisions and associated fears[9]. Children and adolescents have a fundamental role to play in post-conflict peacebuilding and stabilisation efforts. They can be important change agents and role models in their communities. However, to enable children and adolescents to meaningfully participate in post-conflict recovery, activities must integrate MHPSS initiatives that aim to reduce the symptoms and break the cycle of violence. 

The fall of the Assad regime has given hope of a lasting peace in Syria. However, for many children the prolonged Syrian conflict has led to a childhood filled with violence, fear, and a sense of hopelessness.  For some children, this has had a catastrophic impact on their mental wellbeing and overall development. As children are fundamental to peacebuilding and stabilisation efforts, and to ensure lasting national recovery, the international community should prioritise investing in initiatives at the individual, community and national levels that integrate mental health and psychosocial support and peacebuilding/stabilisation.

[1] Policy Brief: Bi-Directional, Holistic Integration of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and Peacebuilding, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), January 2024; Interpeace (2022); Mind the Peace: Integrating MHPSS, Peacebuilding and Livelihood Programming – A Guidance Framework for Practitioners. Geneva/Nairobi.

[2] Humanitarian Response Plan, UNOCHA, 2025.

[3] Camp Profile: Al Hol, Reach Fact Sheet, April 2024; “Remember the Armed Men who Wanted to Kill Mum”: The hidden toll of violence in Al Hol on Syrian and Iraqi Children. Save the Children International, 2022;

[4] What is Toxic stress, UNICEF 2025, found at What is toxic stress? | UNICEF Parenting.

[5] Ibid, UNICEF 2025, found at What is toxic stress? | UNICEF Parenting.

[6] Mental Health and Psychosocial Support for Children in Humanitarian Settings: An Updated Review of the Evidence and Practice, UNICEF, November 2020.

[7] Adolescent and young adult health, WHO, November 2024.

[8] Policy Brief: Bi-Directional, Holistic Integration of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and Peacebuilding, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), January 2024.

[9] Ibid, January 2024.