Caritas Science and Christian Social Work, Faculty of Theology, Albert-Ludwig-University, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Professorship Quality of Life, Spirituality and Coping, Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University, Herdecke, Germany.
Front Public Health. 2023 Sep 18;11:1095835. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1095835. eCollection 2023.
More than 25 years after the end of the Balkan war, many people belonging to the post-war population are still traumatized by the war events and have been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder or other psychiatric diagnoses. We were interested in their Inner Peace needs, how these relate to indicators of mental health, and their needs to clarify open processes in their lives and to forgive and be forgiven.
In a cross-sectional survey with standardized questionnaires (i.e., SpNQ, PCL-M, HADS, and BMLSS), 638 male patients who were treated in seven psychiatric centers in Croatia were enrolled. 68% were diagnosed with PTSD and 32% had other psychiatric diagnoses. Most had actively participated in the Balkan war (79%), and 60% for the whole war period.
Strong needs to "immerse into beauty of nature" were stated by 47%, to "dwell at a place of quietness and peace" by 66%, and to "find inner peace" by 57%. These Inner Peace needs were highest in men treated with PTSD diagnoses as compared to men with other psychiatric diagnoses and were slightly lower in men who were active during the whole war period as compared to shorter phases of war participation. Regression analyses with Inner Peace needs as a dependent variable revealed that Clarification/Forgiveness needs were the best predictor, with further influences of PTSD symptoms and life satisfaction, explaining altogether 49% of the variance. The best predictors of their PTSD symptoms were life satisfaction, perceived burden, depressive symptoms, Inner Peace needs, religious trust, and duration of war participation, explaining 60% of the variance.
In Croatian male war participants in clinical treatment decades after the war, Inner Peace needs indicate their ongoing intention to let go of their disturbing experiences and to find states of inner peace, particularly at specific places of quietness and peace. These needs can be considered metaphors for longing for wholeness, integrity, and safety, in contrast to the ongoing impact of unresolved issues. Thus, apart from psychotherapeutic treatment, sheltered places of nature, inspiration, and reconciliation might be elements to improve the difficult situation of post-war victims still suffering from their experiences.
巴尔干战争结束 25 年多后，许多属于战后人口的人仍深受战争事件的创伤，并接受了创伤后应激障碍或其他精神科诊断的治疗。我们对他们内心平静的需求感兴趣，以及这些需求与心理健康指标的关系，以及他们澄清生活中未解决过程、原谅和被原谅的需求。
在一项横断面调查中，使用标准化问卷（即 SpNQ、PCL-M、HADS 和 BMLSS），共纳入了克罗地亚 7 家精神病中心治疗的 638 名男性患者。68%的人被诊断为创伤后应激障碍，32%的人有其他精神科诊断。大多数人积极参与了巴尔干战争（79%），60%的人参加了整个战争。
47%的人表示强烈需要“沉浸在大自然的美丽中”，66%的人表示需要“居住在宁静祥和的地方”，57%的人表示需要“找到内心的平静”。与其他精神科诊断的男性相比，患有创伤后应激障碍诊断的男性对内心平静的需求最高，而与战争参与时间较短的男性相比，在整个战争期间活跃的男性需求略低。以内心平静的需求为因变量的回归分析显示，澄清/宽恕需求是最好的预测因素，进一步受创伤后应激障碍症状和生活满意度的影响，共解释了 49%的方差。其创伤后应激障碍症状的最佳预测因素是生活满意度、感知负担、抑郁症状、内心平静需求、宗教信任和战争参与时间，共解释了 60%的方差。
在战争结束几十年后接受临床治疗的克罗地亚男性战争参与者中，内心平静的需求表明他们仍有意放下困扰他们的经历，寻找内心的平静状态，尤其是在宁静祥和的特定地方。这些需求可以被视为对完整、完整和安全的渴望的隐喻，与未解决问题的持续影响形成对比。因此，除了心理治疗外，受保护的自然场所、灵感和和解可能是改善仍受战争影响的受害者困境的元素。
