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Psychological Impact of Long-Term Political Violence: An Exploration of Community Service Users

School of Sociology, Social Policy, and Social Work, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, k.dillenburger{at}qub.ac.uk

Montserrat Fargas

School of Sociology, Social Policy, and Social Work, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Rym Akhonzada

School of Sociology, Social Policy, and Social Work, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Politically motivated violence has been a hallmark of life in Northern Ireland for the past 37 years. Despite the ceasefires in 1994 to 1995, violent incidents remain a relatively common occurrence. A range of community-based services developed to help people cope. In this article, the psychological health of people who use these services is assessed by means of the General Health Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Index, and the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale. Pearson correlations indicate that 10 years after the ceasefires in Northern Ireland, the psychological health of community service users remains compromised in terms of death, individual, social, and cultural contexts. These issues are discussed in relation to questions regarding the effects of ongoing violence, resilience, and effectiveness of services.

Key Words: trauma • GHQ • BDI • PDS • D.I.S.C. • violence • Northern Ireland

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