The Psychological Effects of War

Master's Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Medicine - Public Health, grade: 5.0, University of Debrecen (FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH - DEPT. OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE), course: PUBLIC HEALTH, language: English, abstract: From the South Sudan conflict to the war in Syria and the violent conflict in Myanmar, it is an inevitable reality that people will continue to experience war trauma, which will - in some cases - escalate to post-traumatic stress disorder and other major psychological disorders. This thesis sets out to examine war trauma, based on its psychological effects, treatment and management. It elaborates on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the risk and protective factors therein. Moreover, it derives information from various academic sources that will help expound on war trauma.

It also intends to use the trauma therapy sessions which were conducted by the author, on South Sudanese refugees and nationals in South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda as practical experiences in evaluating this thesis with the expectation that it will serve as a contribution to academics and also provide the much needed information on war trauma to governments, military defense departments, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and all relevant stakeholders in this field.

With the escalation of wars and conflict, around the world, there has been an upsurge of refugees and immigrants in and outside Europe. This has sparked various debates, thereby creating an interest on the effects war has on military personnel, workers and civilians, in conflict areas. Having interacted with some of these groups at a personal and professional level, the author brings on board some of these unique experiences.