New research: posttraumatic distress and growth

The results of a scientific study that Nemam was working on shortly before she died have now been published in the Journal of Mental Health vol 33, no. 4.

The article, titled Mental Health in Genocide: Balancing between posttraumatic distress and growth among displaced Yazidi mothers, reflects many of Nemam’s deepest preoccupations: the psychological impact of war; the complex relationships between mothers and their children; the need to pay attention not only to the suffering of genocide survivors but also to their strength and to the many sources of resilience—familial, personal, cultural—on which they draw to build new lives in the aftermath of tragedy.

The paper describes the results of a study of 238 Yezidi mothers with infant children living in IDP camps in Iraqi Kurdistan, The authors conclude that “rehabilitation of survivors of genocide must involve both healing of mental health problems and encouraging positive resources, especially cultural, historical, and religious belief-systems and empowerment scripts.”