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Kids who fear nuclear war more optimistic

Children who worry about the threat of a nuclear war are more optimistic about their ability to influence their own futures than are children who say they are not fearful of war, according to Frank G. Sommers, M.D.

Speaking at the International Congress of Pediatrics, Dr. Sommers, a member of the faculty at the University of Toronto Department of Psychiatry, urged physicians, mental health professionals and educators to recognize and encourage the constructive effects of helping young people acknowledge and express their anxieties about nuclear war. Dr. Sommers, a founding member of the Council of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, winners of the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, reported that children who cite nuclear war as the cause of persistent anxiety demonstrate a higher sense of optimism and social efficacy than do children who say they are not fearful about the threat of war. It is this latter group that Dr. Sommers identifies as being at high risk for future emotional and personality difficulties.