The next global health crisis is already here: Childhood trauma from war

This article examines the devastating psychological and physical toll that armed conflicts take on children worldwide, arguing that war trauma should be recognized as a global public health crisis. The author explains how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) affect children in conflict zones at far higher rates than in stable countries, with one in six children globally living in active war zones compared to one in ten Americans experiencing three or more ACEs. Children in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and West Asia face displacement, injury, death, and severe trauma that can lead to lifelong mental health issues including PTSD, depression, and anxiety.