Effects of war on the behavior of Lebanese preschool children: influence of home environment and family functioning.

To investigate the psychological effects of armed conflict on children, the behavior of preschool Lebanese children exposed to heavy shelling two years prior to data collection was compared to that of Lebanese children who had experienced no direct shelling. Although the quality of the home environment was similar in the two groups, children who lived in the area of heavy shelling had significantly more behavioral problems than did those not exposed to shelling. For children in the shelled area, negative sequelae appear to have been buffered by a positive home environment and what the mother perceived as a more functional family.