Exploring the Well-Being and Needs of Dutch Children After Their Return from the Caliphate: A Mixed-Method Study

Children who have returned from the Caliphate, living under the ISIS-regime, and from Kurdish camps have faced harsh living conditions, including war and separation from their parents. Such experiences are risk factors for the development of affect, cognition, behaviour, attachment, and social-emotional competencies. However, there is still limited knowledge about the development of this specific group of children, since previous studies were solely based on adult perspectives. The participants of the current study were 22 Dutch children, who returned to the Netherlands between September 2018 and November 2022. Data were also gathered from their parents, caregivers, and teachers. Assessment took place in the first nine months after return. Additionally, the current study is the first study on child returnees with a mixed-methods design. Standardised, normed instruments (‘quantitative’) and interviews (‘qualitative’) were employed to assess the children’s experiences in Syria and/or Iraq, their affect, cognition, behaviour, attachment and social-emotional competencies upon return and their living conditions following their return to the Netherlands. The results confirm that the children experienced harsh physical and emotional living conditions in Syria/Iraq, and indicate affective problems, delays in cognitive development, problematic attachment and adaptation problems. However, positive outcomes were also identified, including the children's strong social-emotional skills in recognizing and empathizing with other people’s emotions.In conclusion, the affective and cognitive development of children who have returned appear to be most threatened by their experiences, although causality cannot be demonstrated. The findings imply the needs for careful assessment of each individual, treatment of trauma and deviant affective development, as well as availability of attachment figures. Monitoring children over a longer period is however crucial to identifying possible resilience and long-term consequences. Although the mixed-methods multi-informant approach proved crucial for balanced conclusions, differences between informants and measures also make it difficult to reach definitive conclusions. KEYWORDS: Child Returnees – Caliphate – Psychological Trauma – Traumatic Stress – War Violence – Terrorism – Development – Reintegration