Children and the Sphere Standard on Mental and Social Aspects of Health

Almost one-half of the population of the 49 poorest countries in the world are younger than 18 (United Nations Population Division, 2005). These children are much more likely to be exposed to armed conflict and catastrophic situations arising from natural disasters than children living in high-income countries. Accumulating evidence suggests that not only in Western settings (Barenbaum, Ruchkin and Schwab-Stone, 2004), but also in non-Western contexts, children exposed to catastrophic events are at heightened risk of symptoms of depression and anxiety (including post-traumatic stress symptoms), behavioural problems, diminished cognitive functioning, and a host of other non-clinical mental, physical and social signs of distress (Loughry and Eyber, 2003; Lustig et al., 2004; Machel, 1996). In response, mental health and psychosocial support programmes designed to prevent and treat psychological and social disturbances among children exposed to disasters are a rapidly increasing part of international humanitarian aid.