Development and mixed-methods evaluation of Nour’s World, a blended intervention for conflict- exposed children aged 5-8 years

In parts of the world where conflict is a constant presence, the daily reality for a child is often defined by fear, loss, and the disruption of normal life. When a child grows up in such an environment, the stress does not just stay with them; it ripples through the family. Parents who are themselves struggling with trauma, anxiety, or depression may find it harder to provide the emotional warmth and stability their children need. This creates a cycle where children, unable to process overwhelming feelings, may withdraw, become aggressive, or struggle to connect with others. While mental health support is vital, young children are often overlooked because they do not always show the same signs of distress as adults. They might stop playing, have trouble sleeping, or act out in ways that are mistaken for simple bad behavior rather than a response to deep-seated fear. The challenge for aid workers and researchers is to find ways to help these very young children and their parents without requiring specialized therapists, who are often scarce in crisis zones.

This is the context for a new approach tested in Lebanon, a country hosting a massive number of refugees and facing its own history of conflict and economic collapse. Researchers set out to create and test a program called "Nour's World," designed specifically for children between the ages of five and eight and their parents. The goal was to build a tool that could be used in schools to help children recognize, talk about, and manage their big emotions. The program is "blended," meaning it combines in-person group activities in the classroom with digital content accessed through a smartphone app. It relies on the story of a rabbit named Nour and a metaphor of a volcano to teach children how to calm down when they feel overwhelmed. Crucially, the program was designed to be self-guided, allowing regular teachers to lead the sessions without needing years of specialized training in psychology.

The researchers developed this intervention by working closely with local teachers, parents, and community members to ensure it fit the culture and the specific needs of the region. They took the core ideas from an existing program used in other parts of the world and adapted them for Arabic-speaking families. The result was a curriculum that included ten sessions where children and teachers would explore feelings through stories and games, while parents were encouraged to use an app at home to reinforce what their children were learning. The study took place over six months in 2023 across five schools in Lebanon, reaching 305 children in both refugee camps and disadvantaged neighborhoods. The team wanted to see if this simple, accessible approach could actually change how children felt and behaved, and if it could help parents feel more capable of supporting their children.

To measure the results, the researchers asked parents to fill out questionnaires before and after the program, asking about their child's behavior and their own ability to handle emotional situations. Teachers also rated the general mood of the children, and the team held conversations with parents, teachers, and the children themselves to hear their stories. The findings were encouraging. After completing the program, children showed significant improvements in their overall well-being. Specifically, they displayed fewer behavioral problems, less hyperactivity, and a greater ability to get along with others. Parents reported feeling more confident in their ability to understand their child's emotional needs and to support them. The children's general mood also lifted; at the start of the study, fewer than half of the children were described as generally happy, but by the end, three-quarters were.

The success of the program was not just in the numbers, but in how the children and adults described their experiences. Teachers noted that children began using the strategies they learned in the classroom in other parts of their day. One teacher shared that a student, when the teacher was feeling frustrated, reminded her to take a deep breath because she was "at the top of the volcano," a reference to the program's metaphor for feeling overwhelmed. Parents reported that their children were talking more about their feelings and that the family atmosphere had become calmer. The digital app was well-received by those who used it, with many parents feeling that it helped them regulate their own emotions as well as their children's. The teachers, who led the sessions without any prior specialized mental health training, found the video instructions clear and the activities easy to manage, even within the tight schedules of a school day.

One unexpected finding was that the program worked well even for children older than the intended target age. While the study was designed for children aged five to eight, the classes in these schools often included children up to twelve years old due to how the schools are organized. The data showed that these older children also benefited, improving their behavior and mood just as much as the younger group. This suggests that the core skills taught by the program—recognizing feelings and learning to calm down—are useful for a wider range of ages than originally planned. The study also found that boys, who started with higher levels of behavioral difficulties, showed the most dramatic improvement, though the program helped both boys and girls equally.

The researchers were careful to note that this was not a perfect study. Because it was a pilot program, there was no separate group of children who did not receive the intervention to compare against. This means the researchers cannot say with absolute certainty that the improvements were caused only by the program, though the combination of survey data, teacher observations, and personal stories makes a strong case for its effectiveness. There were also practical challenges; some teachers felt pressed for time and skipped certain activities, such as making a stuffed toy companion for the children or moving to the playground. In some families, the app was not used because parents did not have smartphones or the time to download it. Despite these hurdles, the core message of the program reached the children, and the positive changes were evident.

The study concludes that "Nour's World" is a promising tool for helping young children and their families cope with the effects of war and conflict. It demonstrates that a low-cost, school-based program can be delivered by regular teachers and can lead to real improvements in mental well-being. The researchers suggest that this approach could be expanded to more schools in Lebanon and other Arabic-speaking regions affected by conflict. By giving children the language to understand their feelings and giving parents the confidence to support them, the program offers a way to break the cycle of trauma before it takes deeper root. While more research is needed to confirm these results over the long term, the initial evidence points to a simple, effective way to bring a sense of safety and stability back into the lives of children who have known very little else.