Stress, Traumatic Events and Political Violence: Implications for Mental Health Care

Dear Colleagues,

Armed conflict, political violence, torture, detention, imprisonment, forced migration, refugee experiences, natural disasters such as earthquakes, and other forms of social upheaval continue to affect millions worldwide. These traumatic events leave lasting psychological impacts on individuals, families, and communities, posing significant challenges for mental health care systems. This Special Issue seeks to explore the multifaceted mental health consequences of such experiences, with a particular focus on the lived reality of people in conflict, crisis, and disaster-affected regions.

We aim to examine how stress, trauma, and psychological distress manifest across different populations, cultural contexts, and political landscapes. This Special Issue will also investigate the challenges in delivering effective mental health care in these environments, highlighting the structural, logistical, and cultural barriers faced by practitioners, researchers, and affected communities.

In light of ongoing global crises—including protracted armed conflicts, torture, mass displacement, natural disasters, and increasing global recognition of mental health as a public health and development priority—this Special Issue is both timely and essential. We invite contributions from a broad range of disciplines, including psychology, psychiatry, public health, anthropology, sociology, social work, political science, and related fields, to generate interdisciplinary insights.

Special emphasis will be placed on studies that present innovative models of care, especially those demonstrating the successful integration of mental health services into public health systems. We are particularly interested in research that advances equity in mental health access and highlights sustainable solutions for long-term recovery and well-being.

This Special Issue offers a vital platform for addressing mental health as a core component of comprehensive health care. By assembling diverse perspectives and expertise, we aim to inform both practice and policy to better support individuals, families, and communities enduring the psychological toll of traumatic events and political violence.

The research areas of submissions to this Special Issue may include, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• The psychological impacts of political violence and armed conflict;
• Stress, trauma, and post-traumatic responses among displaced populations and refugees;
• Access to and delivery of mental health care in conflict-affected or low-resource settings;
• Culturally and politically grounded and community-based approaches to mental health care;
• Enhancing mental health systems in fragile, crisis-affected, and post-conflict areas;
• Intersections of mental health with gender, age, ethnicity, and other social determinants;
• Chronic insecurity, structural violence, and their role in intergenerational and collective trauma;
• Innovative approaches to integrating mental health services into primary health care;
• Policy responses to addressing mental health needs in zones of conflict, crisis, and displacement;
• Help-seeking behaviors, stigma, and attitudes toward mental health care utilization.
• Torture, detention, or imprisonment can result in severe psychological effects, including loss of control, isolation, and trauma. These experiences can lead to conditions such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, and complex trauma.

I look forward to your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Alean Al-Krenawi
Guest Editor

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• political violence
• armed conflict
• mental health
• stress
• displacement and refugees
• conflict-affected populations
• torture, detention, or imprisonment
• help-seeking behavior and stigma
• traumatic events
• post-traumatic stress (PTSD)