Psychological Impact Of Political Violence In Latin America: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The objective of the study was to know the psychological consequences of political violence in Latin America. This is a descriptive study under the design of a systematic review. The sample consisted of 26 scientific research articles in Psychology, Psychiatry and Political Science published between 2017 and 2022 on the variables psychological impact and political violence carried out in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. In the search, the keywords “Political violence”, “Mental health” and “Victims” were used, as well as their equivalents in English and Portuguese. The databases consulted were Scopus, EBSCO, EBSCO Host, ProQuest, GaleOne, Scielo Redalyc and Dialnet. The PRISMA statement for systematic reviews was used for analysis. It was found that the main psychological impact of political violence in Latin America is emotional, social, family and psychopathological; the mode of execution were actions against physical and contextual integrity in an isolated and joint manner; that the actions come mostly from the current political class of governments, and that the victims use protective resources present before the events of violence to promote their well-being and others acquired during the recovery process. At a statistical level, it was found that the country with the highest rate of political violence events in Latin America is Colombia and that this motivates research on the matter. This research shows the impact of political violence on the mental health of the population and adds to the call to stop it throughout the region.