ARTICLE
Mental health and psychosocial support in areas affected by conflict: review of programs in the Chechen Republic
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1
Saint-Petersburg State University
2
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Submission date: 2016-02-25
Final revision date: 2016-05-05
Acceptance date: 2016-07-04
Publication date: 2016-10-05
Corresponding author
Ekaterina A Burina
Saint-Petersburg State University, Nab. Makarova 6, 199034 Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Arch Psych Psych 2016;18(3):40-47
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ABSTRACT
The social condition addressed in this paper is the mental and psychosocial trauma experienced by victims of violent conflicts. The study attempts to evaluate mental health and psychosocial support programs and the healing of the community in its entirety during peace building and reconciliation processes. The research uses qualitative method in order to assess the impact of the programs. The paper evaluates a case study of the Chechen Republic in Russia, which was chosen due to its recent signing of the peace treaty and cessation of hostilities. The end of the violence was selected as the baseline time in order to compare the achievements of programs from current times. The study has shown that mental health programs implemented in areas that have recently achieved peace aids in decreasing the general level of violence by de-escalating inner tensions and protracted built-up anger among victims and perpetrators.