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2026 - Volume 10 - Number 1

Growing Up in the Shadows: Untold Childhood Memories from Kashmir’s Years of Conflict

Kh Altaf Hussain * ORCID: 0009-0005-6021-7142
University Punjab, Regional Institute of Management and Technology, Punjab Gobindgrah, INDIA

Open Journal for Psychological Research, 2026, 10(1), 19-32 * https://doi.org/10.32591/coas.ojpr.1001.02019h
Received: 2 April 2026 ▪ Revised: 25 June 2026 ▪ Accepted: 11 July 2026

LICENCE: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

ARTICLE (Full Text - PDF)

ABSTRACT:
The Kashmir conflict, one of the biggest and most troubled problem in South Asia, has deeply affected many generations, mostly 1990s. Mental, physical, and social health are key parts of life that are closely connected each other. Mental health issues can affect anyone, regardless of where they live, their background, age, gender, or wealth. In areas affected by conflict, depression and anxiety are very common and can seriously impact people’s social, economic, and political lives. Many people living in such challenging environments suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. This paper looks at the experiences of children who grew up since 1990s, focusing on the memories that were often left and ignored. Although a lot of attention has been given to the political, security, and diplomatic aspects of the conflict, the daily lives of children, filled with fear, uncertainty, strength, and early adulthood, have not been widely discussed. The paper, titled “Growing up in the Shadows,” aims to bring these hidden voices to light by showing how conflict affected social life, domestic spaces etc. Changing what it meant to be a child. The research uses personal stories, oral histories, articles, and existing studies on mental health to show how constant exposure to violence, military presence, uncertainty, unemployment, mental health and loss affected the normal growth of children. These children learned to deal with danger, salience, and adjust to instability, often taking on adult roles in broken families and communities. At the same time, the study also shows quiet acts of resistance and strength, moments of hope, creativity, and support that continued even in tough times. The paper also looks at the lasting effects of growing up in a conflict area, like trauma, how identity is formed, memory, and how fear and strength can be passed down through generations. By placing these personal memories in the bigger picture of politics and society, the study argues that childhood in war zones isn’t just about being a victim, but about creating meaning in very difficult situations. At the last, this research examines value to the fields of conflict studies, childhood studies, and memory studies by showing the importance of recognizing and recording children’s experiences. It's not just about understanding history better, it's also about helping with healing, getting along, and making policies that work for children in places that have gone through conflict like Kashmir.

KEY WORDS: Kashmir conflict, childhood memories, trauma and resilience conflict-affected childhood.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:
Kh Altaf Hussain, University Punjab,Regional Institute of Management and Technology, Punjab Gobindgrah, INDIA.

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