Morale and Moral Injury among Russian and Ukrainian Combatants

This chapter explores morale and moral injury in the Russia-Ukraine War, emphasising the role of narratives. Ukrainians have been engaged in a fierce struggle for their very existence, while the morale-boosting narratives among Russian forces have faced serious challenges. Yet, the involvement of NATO countries possibly reinforced an ‘us against the rest’ mentality in Russian troops. Also, on the battlefield, unique dynamics shape morale, with the willingness to sacrifice for comrades being paramount for combat readiness.

 

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“A crossroads generation.” : Great-grandchildren of Holocaust survivors' perspectives on the impact of the genocide on family functioning

As a cultural trauma, the Holocaust exerted negative psychological effects on many survivors, with such effects often extending to their families. Research has explored these effects with respect to the survivors' children and grandchildren, but the experiences of the next generation have yet to be canvassed.

 

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Prevalence and correlates of ICD-11 prolonged grief disorder among adults living in Ukraine during the war with Russia.

Background
Although high rates of bereavement are evident in war-affected populations, no study has investigated the prevalence and correlates of probable ICD-11 prolonged grief disorder (PGD) under these circumstances.

 

Methods
Participants were 2050 adults who participated in a nationwide survey exploring the effects of the Ukraine-Russia war on the daily lives and mental health of Ukrainian people.

 

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Moral injury and pre-deployment personality factors as contributors to psychiatric symptomatology among combatants : a two-year prospective study

Background: Combatants who are exposed to events that transgress deeply held moral beliefs might face lasting psychopathological outcomes, referred to as Moral Injury (MI). However, knowledge about pre-deployment factors that might moderate the negative consequences of MI is sparse. In this prospective study, we examined pre-enlistment characteristics and pre-deployment personality factors as possible moderators in the link between exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) and psychiatric symptomatology among Israeli active-duty combatants.

 

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Mindful self-compassion for veteran women with a history of military sexual trauma : feasibility, acceptability, potential benefits, and considerations

Background: Military sexual trauma (MST) is reported by up to 74% of women veterans in the United States and is a driver of poor behavioural and physical health. Self-compassion is a transdiagnostic, protective factor linked with improved posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and health behaviours. Thus, Mindful Self-Compassion training (MSC) may help ameliorate MST-related impacts. However, MSC can also temporarily increase distress (i.e. backdraft).

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Courage, resistance and vulnerability in memory culture : Swedish Museum education and the representation of the Holocaust survivor at the turn of the twenty-first century

This article provides a Swedish perspective on critical memory culture and the use of difficult history in museum education. It is based on a detailed study of the educational resource the Teacher’s Guide, published by the Swedish Museum of Cultural History in Lund named Kulturen in 2006 in connection with their permanent exhibition, To Survive. Voices from Ravensbrück. The Guide shows how women, imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp, found ways to resist their situation and overcome their victim position.

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Historical Memories in Transcarpathia : Oral Historical Reflections on the Second World War

Transcarpathia is a border and mostly mountainous region with a rather complex ethnographic and religious mosaic. It borders 4 countries (Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia), and geographically is the westernmost part of Ukraine. These factors contributed to the shape of a local multicultural population with fluid identities and very specific worldviews. The deepening of cultural ruptures is increased by regional historical memory, which shows the past in a way that is not described in the official historical grand narrative.

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Lifelong effects of prenatal and early postnatal stress on the hippocampus, amygdala, and psychological states of Holocaust survivors

This study focuses on hippocampal and amygdala volume, seed-based connectivity, and psychological traits of Holocaust survivors who experienced stress during prenatal and early postnatal development. We investigated people who lived in Central Europe during the Holocaust and who, as Jews, were in imminent danger. The group who experienced stress during their prenatal development and early postnatal (PreP) period (n = 11) were compared with a group who experienced Holocaust-related stress later in their lives: in late childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood (ChA) (n = 21).

 

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From Vulnerability to Resilience : How do Elderly Holocaust Survivors Living in a Nursing Home in Israel, Cope with the Threat of COVID-19? A Group Therapy Case Study

In addition to being an external event, the COVID-19 outbreak is a psychological event. As such, it elicits associations, memories, and metaphors around which threat perceptions are organized. These processes are likely to be especially significant among individuals who have experienced traumatic life events.

 

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Taiwanese Comfort Women Survivors and Their Families : The Complexity of Identity, Motherhood, and Intergenerational Implications

During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army forced many girls and women from Taiwan, Korea, China, and other Asian countries to serve as sexual slaves to the soldiers. Although the exploitative system of “comfort women” was widespread, its effects on the survivors’ identities throughout their lifetimes as well as its intergenerational effects on their families remain insufficiently explored in the existing literature.

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