Abstract

HERNANDEZ-BRUSSOLO, Ricardo; QUINONES SOTO, Juan  and  LIMAS HERNANDEZ, Alfredo. Psychological repercussions in secondary victims of disappearance: a systematic review. Rev. Guillermo Ockham [online]. 2022, vol.20, n.1, pp.191-203.  Epub Apr 11, 2022. ISSN 1794-192X.  https://doi.org/10.21500/22563202.5623.

In Mexico, the disappearance of more than 60,000 people is documented so far in the 21st century. Disappearance is a crime against humanity that affects both the direct victim and the indirect victims -relatives and friends-, with diverse impacts and psychological consequences. Objective: to know the psychological experience of disappearance at a personal, family, community, and social level in secondary victims. Methodology: a systematic literature review. Results: the relatives of the disappeared people experience uncertainty and paradoxes, due to lack of information about the location of the victim(s). In addition, secondary victims present reactions at the individual, family, community, and social level. Conclusions: it is questioned whether the clinical diagnoses of grief, depression, and post-traumatic stress are adequate to comprehend the experience of secondary victims of disappearance. Family members find themselves in situations of uncertainty and with ambiguous and paradoxical perceptions, which can transcend the classification of mental disorders.

Keywords : disappearance; psychology; secondary victims of disappearance; grief; depression; post-traumatic stress; social trauma; relatives of disappeared people.

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