The outgrowth of a conference planned as a response to the need for researchers and clinicians to develop integrated plans for addressing the psychological trauma of children exposed to violence, this volume's goals are:

* to summarize research on the subject with particular emphasis on the Gulf War;

* to use this information to formulate an outline of what current knowledge suggests are reasonable approaches to public mental health intervention; and

* to develop an agenda for future research necessary for improving clinical efforts in varying international conflicts.

A significant collection of diverse perspectives attending to a diversity of cultural and political contexts, the contributors offer many conclusions about important dimensions for analyzing the effects of violence on children. Suggesting informed approaches to public mental health efforts which can be implemented, the work presented here directs attention to the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers and clinicians to better understand the effects of exposure to violence on the psychological well being of children and the optimal modes of remediation on individual, family, and community levels.