Family Disclosure of War Trauma to Children

Abstract

Objective: This article presents results from an exploratory study looking at the relationship between family disclosure of war trauma to children and their children’s play. Creative play was hypothesized to be an indicator of children’s well-being. Method: A comparison was made between a community and clinical sample of children whose families had experienced war. Twenty-one children from West and Central Africa and Algeria were administered a directed sand tray and story-telling play interview. Parents were interviewed about their children’s functioning, development, migration, war history and experience of family separation. A comparison of the children’s play and the family’s approach to the discussion of traumatic events was performed to explore the way in which disclosure was related to the children’s play. Results: The timing and manner in which trauma was disclosed to children appeared to be associated with the children’s ability to play creatively. Creative play appeared linked to a family feeling of safety to discuss their experiences and to a family’s manner of transmitting information so that children could process it. Conclusion: It is hypothesized that the timing and manner in which disclosure occurs may be more important than the disclosure or nondisclosure of war trauma in and of itself. This may have clinical implications for the treatment of children and families from multicultural contexts who have experienced war trauma.