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War-Related PTSD and Its Impact on Neuroendocrine Function, Immune Dysregulation, and Growth in Children:

Batool Sultan1, Shriya Devendra Tayade1, Riddhi Jadhav1

  • 1RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

Avicenna Journal of Medicine
|July 11, 2026
PubMed

Insights

War exposure impacts children's mental health, increasing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk and affecting stress biology. Syrian children are disproportionately affected, highlighting the need for further research.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric mental health
  • Trauma biology
  • Conflict-affected populations

Background:

  • War and displacement elevate pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk.
  • These experiences may alter stress biology, inflammation, and growth.
  • Syrian populations are disproportionately impacted by these challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing literature on the biological and developmental impacts of war exposure on children, with a focus on Syrian populations.
  • To identify associations between war exposure, PTSD, and biological/developmental outcomes in children.

Main Methods:

  • Targeted literature review (PubMed/PMC, Google Scholar) from 2010-2025.
  • Included studies on conflict-affected children (0-18 years) with PTSD measures and biological/developmental outcomes.
  • Data screening, extraction, and quality appraisal by two independent reviewers.

Main Results:

  • Elevated cortisol/HPA-axis activity reported in trauma-exposed pediatric samples.
  • Syrian refugee studies suggest links between hair cortisol, war exposure, and PTSD symptoms.
  • Limited pediatric biomarker data for inflammation and growth impacts, with preliminary epigenetic findings.

Conclusions:

  • Syrian children face significant mental health burdens due to conflict.
  • Evidence suggests trauma can be biologically embedded via stress and immune pathways.
  • Further longitudinal studies with standardized measures are needed to address confounding factors and causal inference.
Abstract

Keywords:
HPA axisSyrian childrencortisolgrowthinflammationposttraumatic stress disorderrefugeeswar

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