How Does Trauma Affect Intergroup Relations Post-Conflict: Evidence from Jordan

• In Event: Post-Conflict Dynamics

Abstract

This paper examines how individual trauma response affects intergroup relations and trust, as well as support for reconciliation after conflict. I hypothesize that adverse responses to traumatic exposure at the individual level, characterized by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), lead to worsened intergroup relations and diminished support for reconciliation after conflict. Given that studies examining recovery from conflict have largely omitted psychological indicators until recently, this research addresses an important gap in our knowledge, testing an explanatory factor that has not been comprehensively considered. I test this theory with data gathered via a field experiment conducted with Syrian refugees living in Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, in which the treatment is a psychoeducation intervention designed to reduce PTSD symptoms. The evaluation of the intervention will include instruments that employ different reporting strategies, including self-report measures, psychophysiological measures, and behavioral assessments. Psychophysiological data will be collected by non-invasive methods using wearable technologies; the primary data point that will be collected will be heart rate variability (HRV), which will allow for testing of the proposed mechanism of interest. Incorporating new findings from the field of psychology into questions asked by political scientists yields a novel approach that can offer important insights, leading to greater understanding of global security in the modern world.

Author

• Elizabeth Danielle Herman, UC Berkeley