War trauma and identification with the terrorist groups. A study among incarcerated ISIS members in Iraq

Mohammed R, Neuner F. War trauma and identification with the terrorist groups. A study among incarcerated ISIS members in Iraq. In: Abstract book: The 17th biennial conference of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Trauma and resilience through the ages: A life course perspective . European Journal of Psychotraumatology . Vol 14. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis Ltd; 2023. ; ackground: Countries torn by war and conflict struggle with the reintegration of the ex-combatants. This struggle is heightened by the continuous identification of the ex-combatants with the armed groups to which they were members long after the fight is over. As (Hogg, 2007) put forward, identifying with groups high in entitativity can reduce uncertainty. In the current study, we believe that identification with a terrorist group can provide a stable social identity in an uncertain environment. We hypothesize that the traumatic events experienced by the sample can lead to further identification with the terrorist group. Methods: We conducted clinical interviews with a sample of N = 114 adolescents and adults who were incarcerated for terrorism in the prisons of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) to assess levels and types of trauma exposure, PTSD, depression, readiness to reintegrate and ongoing identification with ISIS. Results: We found high levels of PTSD and depression that were associated with trauma exposure. The identification with the armed group was predicted by experiences of trauma and not any other factor we studied. Conclusion: The study indicates that the trauma experienced by ex-combatants can have an impact on their beliefs and should be considered in efforts to reintegrate former terrorists.