(P1-11) Psychosocial Impact of Russian Invasion of Georgia in 2008

Abstract

In August 2008, Georgia was subjected to a brutal Russian military invasion and occupation of some its territories. A total of 364 citizens of Georgia were killed, another 2,234 were injured, and 127,589 were internally displaced. This historic military act of a superpower nuclear state invading a small, neighboring country produced population-wide psychological distress and debilitating psychopathology. The key features of the Russian invasion for Georgia were examined, and the consequences of this particular event were defined. Casualty figures, ethnic cleansing facts, numbers of refugees and displaced persons, impact on Georgia's education, damage to cultural heritage, the role of mass media, economic loss, and environmental destruction also were examined. Data suggest that exposure to hazards, loss, change, human causation/culpability, information as a stressor, multiple traumatic events contributed significantly to the mental health outcomes of the population in Georgia. Mental health, psychological trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resilience, suicide risk, and secondary trauma were highly prevalent among impacted persons. There is an urgent need to focus on the protective nature of preserving and restoring psychosocial and material resources in the prevention and treatment of PTSD and major depressive disorder following traumatic events.