Mental health impact of exposure to armed conflict in Colombia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19503065 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marie Louise D Østergaard (0000-0001-9032-0953, DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture), Diego Mauricio Aponte-Canencio (0000-0002-4129-9980, Universidad Externado de Colombia), Maria Fernanda Bohórquez (Universidad Externado de Colombia), Shennya Ruiz-Parra (0000-0002-9809-5081, Universidad Externado de Colombia), Marie Brasholt (0000-0003-4102-6584, Danish Institute against Torture), Jens Modvig (0000-0002-4039-9584, Danish Institute against Torture, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medicine Conflict & Survival (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1362-3699 • E-ISSN: 1743-9396 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/13623699.2026.2620123 |
| PMID | 41664855 |
| OpenAlex | W7128482936 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
With the view to addressing the mental health needs of the Colombian population, exposed to many decades of armed conflict, an interview-based cross-sectional survey study was implemented in five departments (regions) of Colombia. The survey instrument measured, inter alia, exposure to armed conflict (LEC-5 and victim status) and health outcome (SCL-25 and self-reported health). 4480 interviews were conducted by trained interviewers. The results showed no association between prevalence of mental health symptoms and resident area exposure to armed conflict. However, a clear association between both number of events reported and victim status on the one hand and depression and anxiety as well as self-reported health on the other was found. Exposure to one and two or more events were associated with relative risk of depression or anxiety or both of 1.8 (CI 1.4-2.6) and 4.2 (CI 3.5-14.8) compared to no exposure. The other indicators used showed similar gradients. In conclusion, this survey study showed a strong association between exposure to armed conflict and health, including mental health, impact
Anxiety · Armed conflict · Association (psychology) · Depression (economics) · Mental health · Occupational safety and health · Public health · Suicide prevention · Health and Conflict Studies · Migration, Health and Trauma · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
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Hidden Casualties
| Highly cited | No |
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