Revista de Estudios Sociales

rev. estud. soc. | eISSN 1900-5180 | ISSN 0123-885X

Mental Health, Social Conflicts, and the Culture of Peace

No. 95 (2026-01-31)
  • Wilson López-López
    Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2964-0402
  • Alfonso Urzúa
    Universidad Católica del Norte, Chile
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0882-2194
  • Carlos Gantiva
    Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9232-121X
  • María-Juliana Reyes-Rivera
    Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5055-5651
  • Laura Cano-Sierra
    SWPS University, Poland, and Universitet i Oslo, Norway
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7122-2996
https://doi.org/10.7440/res95.2026.01

Abstract

This article offers a panoramic overview of the complex relationship between mental health, violence, and peacebuilding, and introduces the different studies that comprise this thematic issue. It adopts an integrative perspective that weaves together empirical evidence, theoretical reflection, and psychosocial practice in order to examine the individual and collective impacts of social conflicts on psychological well being. In doing so, it underscores the multidimensional nature of conflict and peace processes, while also highlighting the limitations of traditional biomedical models for understanding the mental health effects that arise in these contexts. The article calls for moving beyond individualizing perspectives and for recognizing mental health as a collective process, closely connected to social justice, memory, and the construction of sustainable peace.

Keywords: cultures of peace, mental health, psychosocial well-being, social conflicts, social determinants of health

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Copyright (c) 2026 Wilson López-López , Alfonso Urzúa, Carlos Gantiva, María-Juliana Reyes-Rivera, Laura Cano-Sierra

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