War and Prolonged Early-Life Stressors: Cross-Sectional Comparison of Children’s Functional Cognition as Measured With the BRIEF

Plain-Language Summary

Functional cognition supports children’s ability to meet the demands of their daily tasks in real-world environments, such as managing daily routines, playing, and participating in school tasks. This study examined how prolonged war-related stress affects children’s functional cognition. The study compared children assessed before a global crisis with children assessed during a prolonged war, all from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Mothers reported on their children’s everyday functional performance with the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function Parent Questionnaire. The findings showed that children exposed to ongoing war-related stress demonstrated lower functional cognition than children assessed before the war. Children with special educational needs were affected most. These findings highlight the importance of identifying functional cognition difficulties during and after crises. For occupational therapy, the results support the use of functional cognition screening in school settings to guide timely, individualized interventions that promote children’s participation in daily activities and learning.

This study examined how prolonged war-related stress affects children’s functional cognition.