Conference "The Psychological Toll of the War in Ukraine" in Johannesburg
19.09.2022
The Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, in cooperation with the Embassies of Israel, Poland and Ukraine, organized an extremely interesting and important conference on the traumatic and destructive impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine on the human psyche. An international group of psychologists and social policy experts discussed the impact of the war on Ukrainian civilians and refugees in terms of psychological adaptation, as well as clinical and social initiatives to heal and build resilience among war victims.
Prof. Larysa Zasiekina (Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, Lutsk), Prof. Ruth Pat-Horenczyk and Dr Yan Serdtse (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), Dr Jadwiga Królikowska (University of Warsaw) and Prof. Antonia Bifulco and Dr Jeffrey de Marco (Middlesex University, London) were the keynote speakers.
The war in Europe in 2022 shocked everyone. Nobody was prepared for it. Prof. Larysa Zasiekina emphasized that the Ukrainians themselves were not psychologically prepared for the war. They grew up in Soviet Russia. They shared a common heritage in various spheres of life, such as economics, art, and mass media. For this reason, the Ukrainians did not expect such a huge and incomprehensible cruelty on the part of the Russians. Israel's ambassador, Eli Belotsercovsky, emphasized that the war caused a historic split between two fraternal nations - Ukrainians and Russians. According to Ambassador Belotsercovski, healing wounds and rebuilding mutual relations will take many years.
Professor Antonia Bifulco discussed the impact of traumatic experiences on mental health and the issue of generational trauma. Professor Bifulco, née Czechowska, is particularly interested in the subject of transgenerational transmission due to her Polish origin and strong connections with both Polish and other Eastern European groups conducting research in this field.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Kanthak, emphasized that every war leads to the degradation of society, which is doomed to brutality, death and helplessness every day. Such experiences cause irreversible changes in the psyche of people who survived the horrors of war. Armed conflicts lead to persecution, murder and injustice and have a huge impact on soldiers and civilians who are inadvertently participating in an armed conflict.
According to UN data, over 12.3 million citizens have left Ukraine since the outbreak of the war. Over 6 million crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border, including 93% of women and children. Over 7,000 people died, including 383 children, and over 10,000 were injured. The war in Ukraine left its mark on everyone, including those who indirectly felt the effects of the war while watching brutal scenes on TV screens around the world. According to the Ukrainian Ambassador Liubov Abravitova, these images of war and reports from the front line reflect on the psyche of all of us. Constant bombing and the lack of food, water and shelter caused unimaginable trauma among the civilian population.
It was also emphasized during the conference that Russian aggression caused a wave of support for Ukraine, including humanitarian aid from around the world and a safe haven for millions of refugees who fled the country, most of whom found refuge in Poland, but also in neighbouring countries, including Moldova.
More information about the event you can find in “SA Jewish Report”
https://www.sajr.co.za/ukraine-war-takes-psychological-toll-worldwide/undefined
