Decreasing Youth Involvement in Violence in Burundi

The African Great Lakes Region is marked by several countries which have been ravaged by violence for several years. One of these countries is Burundi, a small state bordered by Rwanda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This country has been stricken by more than a decade of civil war, which ended only in 2006.

Today, many people still struggle in coping with the aftermath of the war. Political parties remain largely drawn along ethnic lines. These identities are often manipulated in order to incite violence and intimidation against opposing parties or groups. Violence between rival youth wings was a disturbing feature of the 2010 elections in Burundi, with similar conditions manifesting themselves in advance of the 2015 presidential election.

Further complicating the situation in Burundi, one of the problems people in war-affected populations often face is the high impairment due to mental health problems. Studies in crisis regions have shown that multiple experiences of traumatic life events seriously damages mental health and can lead to disorders such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or depression. Further, the risk of developing PTSD rapidly increases with the number of traumatic events experienced, as the occurrence of PTSD is more likely when the accumulation of trauma exceeds a certain limit. This phenomenon has been described as the "building block effect". This means, people in the context of armed conflicts and war are especially at risk to develop PTSD, as the total load of perceived stress is much higher than anywhere else. Furthermore, recent studies have revealed that combatants and other populations living in violent and insecure circumstances may adapt to their environment by developing an attraction to perpetrating violence, i.e. appetitive aggression. While appetitive aggression helps individuals to survive in violent environments by reducing their likelihood of developing trauma-related symptoms, it increases the risk of getting involved in the perpetration of violence.

In order to address the mental health needs of the participants in the present study, the investigators will be utilizing an intervention, Narrative Exposure Therapy for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation (FORNET), that has been demonstrated to reduce posttraumatic symptomology and readiness for aggressive behavior.

Objectives:

The aim of the present study is to investigate the intersection of politics and mental health within the context of Burundi. Specifically, the study will be seeking to answer the following research questions:

1. Mental Health Barriers to Participation in Peace Building Initiatives: What, if any, role does the presence of mental health issues such as PTSD and depression play in effective participation in peace-building efforts? Can FORNET contribute to peace building programs?
2. Links Between Mental Health Issues and Political Participation: What is the role of mental health issues in shaping the readiness to resort to violence as a result of political beliefs and attitudes toward members of other political parties in a post-conflict setting?
3. Appetitive Aggression. Does the concept of appetitive aggression influence the manner of political participation? Does appetitive aggression have a relationship to the perpetration of politically-motivated violence?
4. Trauma-related disorders. Do trauma-related disorders such as PTSD and depression influence the manner of political participation? Do they have a relationship to the perpetration of politically-motivated violence?