Abstract
For decades, in a situation of armed conflict in Colombia, women have suffered polyvictimization and discrimination with severe consequences that last even during the post-war peace process. This study analyzes the impact on posttraumatic stress and recovery of war-related violence against women, discrimination, and social acknowledgment. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019–2020. Participants were 148 women with a mean age of 47.66years (range 18–83), contacted through the NGO Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres who had experienced significant personal violence. Results show that levels of perceived discrimination and lack of social acknowledgment are mediators in the relationship between polyvictimization and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Recognition by significant others, disapproval by family and the larger social milieu affects different posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) dimensions and therefore how these women adapt to the effects of trauma. Findings provide strong evidence that the way society and family treats women after a traumatic event affects how the victim recovers from this event. Recognition as a victim and disapproval can coexist and be a burden for women if not adequately addressed. Results stress the importance of understanding and intervening in PTSD recovery through the analysis of social processes, and not only through and individual focus.
Highlights
Violence perpetrated during periods of armed conflict may have a lasting effect on individuals, and how they reconstruct their lives
The way society treats a person after a traumatic event affects how the victim recovers from this event as well as reflecting the social fabric of communal relationships
Results from this study show that social acknowledgment has an impact on how women who have survived violence in an armed conflict process their traumatic experiences emotional and cognitively
Summary
Violence perpetrated during periods of armed conflict may have a lasting effect on individuals, and how they reconstruct their lives. Different forms of gender violence are used as war tools both in situations of armed conflict and in post-conflict environments contributing to destabilize, humiliate, and underestimate the population while helping foster a climate of fear and submission. This type of gender violence acts for the perpetrators as a reaffirmation of their role in society (Manjoo and McRaith, 2011). As Álvarez-Múnera et al (2020) have mentioned, in many instances during an armed conflict, women have had to accept the logic of a patriarchal society that has cosified their existence while at the same time suffering severe physical and psychological impacts having their voices and narratives silenced. Because of the different types of violence they have suffered women may experience reintegration difficulties and social stigma and in many cases are ostracized by their family and community (Manjoo and McRaith, 2011)
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