Armed conflict, forced migration, and mental health

Head of the research units Suizidalitätsforschung​ and Psychotraumatologie und Migrationsforschung
Department for Medizinische Psychologie und Medizinische Soziologie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig

• How do armed conflicts matter?
• What are their long-term consequences?

In the recent past the number of armed conflicts has rapidly increased worldwide, and this entailed a steady increase in the number of refugees. Hence, it becomes ever more important to deal with traumatic experiences and their mental health consequences.

This lecture will provide theoretical insights into models for understanding forced migration, traumatic experiences inflicted in this context, and consequential mental health issues. I will revisit current findings on the complex impact of traumatic experiences in the context of armed conflicts, flight and displacement, and I will discuss the significance of these findings for political action and the provision of psychosocial support for refugees.

1. United Nations, High Commissioner for Refugees (2024): Global Trends: Forced displacement in 2023. Copenhagen, Denmark: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
2. Y. Nesterko, D. Jäckle, M. Friedrich, L. Holzapfel and H. Glaesmer (2019): Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and somatisation in recently arrived refugees in Germany: an epidemiological study, Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences 29, e40, 1–11.

Climate-related hazards, countries with more than one conflict-related death per 100,000 (2022) and the number of forcibly displaced people per country (2023). $\quad$ Source: Map 2 of Ref [1].

Talk on 14 November 2024 — Ringvorlesung in Winter Term 2024/25