Resilience After Trauma in Kosovo and Southeastern Europe: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Most people who experience trauma want to thrive and often find paths to well-being and healthy functioning. This scoping review explores the existing evidence on adversity and resilience in southeastern European countries, focusing on Kosovo. There is a lack of research on trauma and resilience in cultures outside the US and Western Europe. The paper provides a brief cultural and historical overview of this region and the collectivist cultures found there. We draw from a range of interdisciplinary literatures to identify key strengths that have the potential to improve health outcomes for trauma victims in this region. Overall, 42 papers from PsycInfo and PubMed were identified, using keywords such as “resilience” or “health” and “Kosovo,” “Balkans,” and “Southeastern Europe.” Findings from this scoping review show that different cultural values, norms, and societal ecologies impact resilience within these societies. Some strengths, such as social support and sense of purpose, echoed similar research in the US and Western Europe. There was also evidence that factors such as dignity, family solidarity, social activism, and nationwide meaning-making are strengths associated with resilience for these collectivist societies of southeastern Europe. We also consider the implications of the results for other post-conflict societies. Finally, findings from this review call for culturally sensitive strength-based perspectives in promoting health and well-being after the high dosages of trauma common in this region.

Intergenerational trauma and war-induced PTSD in Kosovo: insights from the Albanian ethnic group

“…Our study’s result is consistent with those of existing studies, as a negative correlation with different social systems implies that an increase in support systems will reduce PTSD symptoms among individuals, accompanied by subjective well-being ( Kelmendi and Hamby, 2022 ). The Mann–Whitney U t -test results revealed that perceived social support, family support, and other support systems significantly impact PTSD and the severity of the symptoms.…”

“…The difference in support systems and their impact on different population groups highlight the role socio-economic factors can play in their access to social support ( Kamberi and Abazi, 2021 ; Fel et al, 2022 ). Additionally, significant differences were observed between the youth and parents with respect to PTSD, negative mood and cognition, and arousal symptoms, consistent with other studies ( Kelmendi et al, 2022 ; Kelmendi and Hamby, 2022 ).…”

What can we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic? Resilience for the future and neuropsychopedagogical insights

“…We can be more resilient when we are focused on other individuals and their needs through empathy, compassion, and tolerance (Jordan, 2004 ; Slavich et al, 2021 ). Additionally, the support of family, friends, and community is considered another source of strengths crucial to developing resilience and overcoming adversity in diverse cultural contexts and populations (Hamby et al, 2018 ; Kelmendi and Hamby, 2022 ). Conversely, “self-centered” resilience reinforces social alienation, hindering the development of a sense of brotherhood and responsibility to others (Mahdiani and Ungar, 2021 ).…”

“…To face the global spread of anxiety and depression among youth as a consequence of the pandemic (Racine et al, 2021 ), resilience must be promoted and integrated in educational settings. The educational landscape should create personalized and collective support strategies and integrate resilience in educational curricula around the world (Mwangi et al, 2017 ; Kelmendi and Hamby, 2022 ). Educational systems must develop new strategies to survive the long-term crisis sustainably, ensuring that no one is left behind (Bozkurt, 2022 ) in light of socioeconomic disparities between countries.…”

Impact of the war in Ukraine on resilience, protective, and vulnerability factors

“…Many studies have presented that resilience-the ability to recover and return to effective functioning, during and following different adversities, may be associated with the above-mentioned coping mechanisms (2,32,33). These associations have been found concerning the capacity of the individual [i.e., -individual resilience; (34-36)], the community [i.e., community resilience; (37)], and the society [i.e., societal resilience; (38)] to recover following adversities.…”