Trauma as a dialectical process: A phenomenological study of war exposure, coping, and posttraumatic growth within a war-affected society.

Abstract

Objective: Understanding trauma as a lived, multidimensional experience is essential for informing effective clinical, community, and policy responses, especially as armed conflict exposes individuals to severe and repeated trauma that disrupts psychological development. Therefore, this research explores the daily lives of Iranian young adults experiencing a recent conflict, seeking to show how the experiences in this context can deepen our understanding of trauma and resilience among similar populations in conflict settings.

Method: Following a qualitative phenomenological approach, semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 participants with different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

Results: Phenomenological analysis of the study identified six interrelated areas: (a) chronic negative affect, consisting of chronic fear, hopelessness, insecurity, and anxiety; (b) coping acts ranging from active confrontation to passive resignation and denial; (c) paradox of suffering and resistance, where despair coexisted with national identity and collective resilience; (d) uncertainty, felt as future-oriented anxiety, disorientation, and loss of control; (e) psychological growth, expressed in changed family values, existential meaning making, and reappreciation of everyday life; and (f) empathy, manifested in interpersonal concern and identification with others' suffering at the local and global levels.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that trauma seems to be a dialectical process that both breaks and heals at the same time, in contrast to conceptualizing it dichotomously in terms of pathology versus growth. Focusing on sociocultural and political contexts in shaping responses to trauma offers implications not only for clinical intervention but also policy and community interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).