Narrative identity and mental health in contexts of chronic collective crises.

Abstract

Narrative identity is shaped by how individuals interpret and integrate significant life events. Yet little is known about these processes in contexts of chronic collective adversity. This study examined their links with psychological symptoms and mental health among Lebanese adults exposed to chronic crises.Ninety-five Lebanese and forty-three French participants provided oral life narratives and completed clinical and cognitive assessments. Narratives were coded for content, autobiographical reasoning, coherence, and references to personal and collective adversities. Group comparisons were conducted across Lebanese participants with higher symptom levels, Lebanese participants with lower symptom levels, and a French comparison group.Lebanese participants, regardless of symptom level, integrated more collective adversities into their life narratives than French participants. In the Lebanese sample, PTSD symptom severity was associated with more negative, consequential, self-defining life events, and with a greater proportion of personal adversities. Event centrality and emotional valence at recall showed the strongest associations with PTSD symptoms, whereas thematic coherence showed a more complex and less robust relationship with mental health.These findings highlight the importance of narrative identity processes for mental health in contexts of chronic collective stress and support the development of context-sensitive models in environments characterised by ongoing collective stress.