We undertook a systematic literature review to explore the prevalence of PTSD among children and adolescents exposed to political violence, and to determine the concomitant factors associated with the development of PTSD in this population. We found a high pooled prevalence of PTSD, which emphasize the relevance of chronic exposure to political violence in children and adolescents. Yet, we also identified methodological and study design issues that challenge the ability to produce a reliable estimates of PTSDthe prevalence of PTSD, and limit the possibility to drawof drawing clear conclusions on the contextual factors that might be associated with the development of PTSD in children and youth in the context of continuous and cumulative trauma.
To our knowledge, this is the first systematic literature review and pooled analysis of the prevalence of PTSD in this population. The findingfindings of this review can serve as a basis for future studies needed to inform public policy and to develop context-related and adapted mental health services, training for professionals, and research planning. We believe that this study will appeal to health research and public health institutions on both the community and policy levels, locally, and in other conflict regions in the WHO-MENA region, and around the world.