--- title: "What long-term psychological scars persist longest among populations surviving civil war?" description: "What long-term psychological scars persist longest among populations surviving civil war?" author: "Amrith Chandran" published: 2025-07-23 updated: 2025-08-05 canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/115182/what-long-term-psychological-scars-persist-longest-among-populations-surviving-civil-war category: "world politics" tags: ["world politics"] reading_time: 2 minutes --- # What long-term psychological scars persist longest among populations surviving civil war? ## Answers ### Answer by Meet Patel The survivors of civil war always have [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/299958/symptoms-of-post-traumatic-stress-disorder) (PTSD) in the long term. It includes frequent flashbacks, nightmares, extreme anxiety, and hypervigilance that are provoked by memory about [war](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/88252/how-technology-is-redefining-war). The symptoms essentially render a feeling of safety and normalcy decades after the end of the conflict. Another long-[term effect](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/43469/what-was-the-long-term-effect-of-the-bleeding-kansas-problem) is severe [depression](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/42807/how-did-the-role-of-agriculture-worsen-the-bank-failures-of-the-great-depression). The survivors live in continuous sadness, despair, and lack of interest due to huge grief over the lost things. This constant depression impairs the recovery and functioning of the particular person on a daily basis. The trauma causes a dismal harm to parenting and relations with family. Survivors tend to develop numbness of emotions or they become aggressive all of a sudden. Such challenges hamper good [relationships](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/11850/how-to-build-stronger-relationships-with-your-employees) with partners and children. As a result, disruptive patterns and fears are often passed on to the [next generation](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/341550/the-mind-blowing-next-generation-innovations-in-assistive-technology-bridging-the-career-gaps). Elementary trust toward other people and society is destroyed atrociously. Communal ties are demolished by violence perpetrated by neighbours. Survivors fixate and are extremely distrusting and become afraid of being betrayed. This general mistrust denies much-needed collaboration and social [reconstruction](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/41820/in-what-way-was-reconstruction-successful) months after peace has been proclaimed. Communal trauma is overwhelming the community as a whole. The collective memory of nightmares and loss are instilled in the collective self. It is this shared hurt that has contributed to continued ethnic or political frustrations and damaging resentment-loops that act as a major obstacle to collective societal healing. ## Conclusion: Civil war leaves devastating wounds that are psychological in nature. The lasting scars are PTSD, depressed chronic moods, disrupted family relationships, universal suspicion, and communal trauma. Such circumstances significantly hinder personal recovery and building back of [society](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/332866/the-metaverse-s-influence-on-society-and-culture-exploring-its-potential-impact) decades after the battles are over. These fundamental [psychological](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/301003/how-is-child-psychology-different-from-adult-psychology) effects are what should be addressed to ensure real and [sustainable](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/34760/the-international-conference-on-sustainable-biofuels-icsb-2018-will-be-organized-in-which-city) healing in the populations infected. --- Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/115182/what-long-term-psychological-scars-persist-longest-among-populations-surviving-civil-war Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.