Mental health outcomes in communities exposed to Armed Conflict Experiences
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
BMC
Materia
Mental health Armed conflict Empathy Extreme experiences Anxiety disorders
Date
2021-08-27Referencia bibliográfica
Trujillo, S... [et al.]. Mental health outcomes in communities exposed to Armed Conflict Experiences. BMC Psychol 9, 127 (2021). [https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00626-2]
Sponsorship
Mental Health Group-GISAME-at University of Antioquia 495-2020 777-111577757638 844-11158446727Abstract
Background: Populations exposed to Armed Conflict Experiences (ACE) show different levels of impact in their
mental health (i.e. clinical and positive components); however, there is limited evidence related to mental health of
general population (civilians not classified as victims) exposed to ACE. Government guided mental health assessments
exclude this population. The use of a newly validated Extreme Experiences Scale (
EX2) seems appropriate to
classify victims, ex-combatants, and civilians for their mental health assessment.
Methods: Here, we propose a novel approach to identify relationships between individuals classified with different
levels of ACE exposure—independent of their legal role in the armed conflict, and mental health outcomes. According
to the cut-off points derived from the scores of EX2,
we classified the sample in low and high exposure to ACE.
Results: The high-level ACE group (scores > 2.5) included 119 subjects, and the low-level ACE was constituted by 66
subjects. Our results evidence that people with high exposure to ACE experiment higher odds to present anxiety disorders,
risk of suicide, or post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as increased cognitive empathy (i.e., fantasy dimension).
Conclusion: These findings allowed us to identify the influence of ACE on mental health outcomes beyond the
conventional frame (victim or ex-combatant), and to discuss effective interventions and implementation of mental
health strategies in these communities. We expect to help the health system to focus on key vulnerable subjects by
including civilians not recognized as victims, which are neglected from most of the public health screening, assessment,
and interventions.