Mental Health Effects of Political Unrest

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By: Devan Moonsamy?

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In identifying the psychological effects of political unrest, we first need to understand; what is political unrest and how does it present itself in South Africa? Political unrest is defined differently by a number of scholars; however, we learn that ultimately it encapsulates the instability of a nation through acts such as protest & violent behaviour of its citizens?(Tarkhani, 2021). However, when we apply this to the South African context, we can see that political unrest has been prevalent throughout our nation’s history, and in recent years instances such as COVID-19, The attacks on farmers and even the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma, led South Africans to take to the streets in an outcry, let’s not even take it as far as this, political and civil unrest, in Cape Town, Western Province – Monday 21 November 2022 through a city-wide shutdown orchestrated by Santaco (the South African National Taxi Council) (Isaacs, 2022). This event occurred for a number of reasons and grievances, however the institutionalisation of the shutdown created panic, stress and inconvenience for the commuters of the city of Cape Town – enhancing the psychological tolling aspect of political unrest; these instances demonstrate in its purest form; political unrest amongst the South African citizenry.

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What effects did political unrest/instability have on our people

We then ask ourselves during these crises, what effects did political unrest/instability have on our people and more importantly what effect did this have on the psychological well-being of our South African citizens. Political unrest can lead to an increase in an individual’s stress, anxiety, substance use – as a coping mechanism, it can in some cases even cause depression, and a decrease in one’s motivation?(Newport Institution, 2022). When we look at the rioting and looting that fell part of the ”Free Zuma” campaign it caused many people to feel unsafe. Shop owners were worried about their lives, showcasing increased levels of stress and anxiety – and looting would have led to increased rates of depression (Vhumbunu, 2022). Coupled with this, citizens of affected areas would be left questioning their safety and security adding to the stress of the riots and looting scenes. Amongst children it was reported that the recurrence of loud bangs or mass screaming also reignited the trauma and fear of being present in the midst of chaos (Vhumbunu, 2022). Even when we analyse the effects of farm attacks, we can also note that those involved developed a lacked sense of safety and security, ultimately leading to the development of anxiety, depression added stresses and a massive feeling of being unsafe and insecure living life on their farms. These instances also then spread to the individual not physically involved, causing the average citizen to feel a sense of discomfort, increased stress about the future of the governing body and a lack of political faith – which then brings to light a large amount of subsequent psychological, social and economics aspects displaying a negative impact on all citizens of the state.?

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Ways to cope with the psychological effects of Political Unrest

When we look at the wider effects of COVID-19 for example it becomes important for the individual to prioritise self-care and accurately manage grief and loss, subsequently navigating through the processes of dealing with grief and loss?(Newport Institution, 2022). In doing so the individual will reduce the stress and anxiety attached to dealing with these situations and ultimately reduce the psychological effect these instances possess.

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Given the technological era and world we find ourselves to be a part of it is also important to properly manage your social media in-take and the content you consume thereof. In the technological world we live in, social media and online articles have a massive part to play in spreading news and creating panic and distress amongst the local citizenry, in these instances it is important to remember that we are in control of how we react and in control of our actions (Newport Institution, 2022), thus by applying this it puts the individual at the centre and in control of how to respond in times of political unrest.

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PubMed is a National Library of Medicine and in their work, they also note that political unrest threatens interpersonal resources(Canetti, et al., 2012). These resources are made up of social support systems – which is inherently important in situations of political unrest, furthermore, they note that people who suffer a physical stress on health during moments of political unrest may also add to the psychological distress during and after the moments of unrest (Canetti, et al., 2012).

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Hence it becomes important for people to maintain their social aspects of life to promote their psychological well-being and attempt to mitigate the potential effects of PTS (post-traumatic stress) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and in doing so taking the time to recover properly and being able to freely express their experiences of events to promote positive psychological well-being and to create a sense of awareness that could potentially aid others in a post-traumatic experience.

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Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of?ICHAF Training Institute, a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. He?is the author of?Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute.?

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The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

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Tel: 011 262 2461 | 083?303 9159 |

Email:?[email protected] [email protected]?|?

Website:?www.ichaftraining.co.za |??www.devan-moonsamy.com

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References

Canetti, D., Hall, B. J. & Hobfoll, S. E., 2012. Political violence, pyschological distress, and perceived health: A longitudinal investigation in the Palestinian Authority. Psychol Trauma, 4(1), pp. 9-21.

Isaacs, L., 2022. EWN (Eye Witness News) - Breaking News. [Online]

Available at: https://ewn.co.za/2022/11/20/taxi-strike-wced-says-there-s-a-plan-to-get-matric-pupils-to-schools

[Accessed 20 November 2022].

Newport Institution, L., 2022. Newport Institution. [Online]

Available at: https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/mental-health-impact-of-politics/

[Accessed 27 June 2022].

Tarkhani, H., 2021. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, 16 June, pp. 692-702.

Vhumbunu, C. H., 2022. Accord. [Online]

Available at: https://www.accord.org.za/conflict-trends/the-july-2021-protests-and-socio-political-unrest-in-south-africa/

[Accessed 10 December 2021].