Genocide and its long term mental impact on survivors – what we know and what we do not know

Little is known about traumatic memory after genocide over time and the extent to which the memory of genocide predicts physical and mental disorders or resilience. Specifically, is memory recall associated with the health of survivors? Do memories vary over time? We will tentatively answer these questions by means of a review of non-clinical studies on long-term impact of genocides on survivors and on their offspring’s mental health. We investigate changes in memory associated with genocide. Traumatic memories are prone to change, giving a sense of nowness of the past, in some instances. Such changes in memory can have an impact on mental health of genocide survivors. This impact on survivors’ mental health may include posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, somatization and substance abuse. Conversely, it may lead to increased resilience. We review research findings showing that changes in memory are a key feature affecting health and well-being.