Does the recent intensification of nationalistic and xenophobic attitudes in Eastern European countries adversely affect public mental health?

Andrzej Brodziak,Alicja Różyk-Myrta,Agnieszka Wolińska

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3785-3

Abstract

BackgroundThe authors postulate that the recent intensification of the nationalist and xenophobic attitude in Poland and other Eastern European countries is detrimental to public mental health. The xenophobic attitude is accompanied by a higher incidence of anxiety and depression, disputes due to the polarization of opinions, a sense of embarrassment and a sense of contradictions with so-called Christian values, unfavorable demographic predictions and reduced life satisfaction.DiscussionThe authors attempt to describe the sequence of adverse events that led to the intensification of xenophobia and characterize the current state of public mental health in European countries. They formulate and propose possible actions which could counteract the consequences of that transformation.Short conclusionThe actions which may be undertaken to counteract the deterioration of public mental health can be based on the recommendations of so-called ‘positive psychology’ and ‘positive psychiatry’ as well as the principles of strengthening local social capital.

Highlights

The authors postulate that the recent intensification of the nationalist and xenophobic attitude in Poland and other Eastern European countries is detrimental to public mental health
The question arises whether the described changes have an impact on public mental health [1,2,3,4] According to socalled ‘positive psychology’ [5] and ‘positive psychiatry’ [6], such transformations have an impact on the average state of health
We intend to discuss first the so-called ‘sequence of adverse events’ that led to the xenophobic attitudes, and characterize the current state of public mental health and propose actions that could counteract the consequences of that transformation

Summary

Discussion

The sequence of adverse events exacerbated the xenophobic attitude Since the end of the 1980s, there has been an ideological dispute in Poland between two alternative camps in Brodziak et al BMC Public Health (2016) 16:1115 society. Antonovsky’s concepts are highly relevant to the problem of xenophobia because he came from a family of immigrants and he was personally an immigrant, first in the United States, and in Israel (an ‘immigrant’ country), where he conducted extensive research on the relationship between well-being and health, depending on the degree of integration of newcomers [19] He considered the so-called ‘pro-health quality of the receiving culture’.As the author of salutogenesis, he stresses that the receiving culture should promote conditions enabling citizens to experience life as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. The populist regime interferes negatively in the organization of education and promotes its specific ‘cultural policy’.It follows that overcoming xenophobic attitudes is associated with social and even political struggles It seems, that a sociological study carried out among 2.2 million Polish citizens who have recently emigrated could be fruitful, as well as research among people who live near the population of one million immigrants who came to Poland from the Ukraine. It is advantageous to promote the effective learning of foreign languages and mobility of young people for work, education and research in foreign countries

Background

Findings

Conclusions

49. Integration courses