and delegation of roles may occur. Family members, often children, can be assigned the role of patient and develop severe disorders. A child may be overly protected or important facts about the trauma may be hidden. Alternatively, the child can be parentified and expected to care for the parents. When the child is not the direct victim of torture but only indirectly affected, adults often tend to underestimate the impact on the child’s psyche and devel- opment. When loved ones around a child have been persecuted, raped and tortured or the child has witnessed severe trauma or torture, he or she may develop dysfunctional beliefs such as that he or she is responsible for the bad events or that he or she has to bear the parent’s burdens. This type of belief can lead to long-term problems with guilt, loyalty conflicts, personal development and maturing into an independent adult. 58