Child Mental Health During Recurrent Armed Conflict in Iran: A Narrative Review

Objective: Recurrent armed conflict may affect children and adolescents through violence exposure, bereavement, displacement, caregiver disruption, and interruption of protective systems. Evidence on child mental health in Iran remains limited. This narrative review examines developmental, psychological, family, service, and protection pathways linking recurrent conflict to child and adolescent mental health, focusing on Iran’s ۲۰۲۶ context. Methods: We conducted a focused narrative evidence synthesis using scientific databases and institutional sources. We classified evidence as Iran-specific, from other conflict settings, or as humanitarian/professional guidance. Results: International evidence links conflict exposure with posttraumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, grief, and functional impairment. Iran-specific evidence mainly describes conflict indicators, service responses, and emerging mental-health structures rather than representative outcomes or evaluated interventions. Conclusion: Child mental-health responses during recurrent conflict should integrate safety, education, caregiver support, psychosocial services, and specialist care when required. Future research should prioritize longitudinal Iranian data and culturally appropriate stepped-care models.

کلیدواژه ها:

Child mental health ، Armed conflict ، Iran ، Psychosocial support ، War