Characterization of the Effects of Exposure to Armed Conflict on Mental Health and Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Military Personnel with Combat Experience

This project aims to describe and document the neurocognitive and emotional impacts resulting from the Colombian armed conflict in retired military personnel with direct combat experience. Building on a previous fundamental research study on event-related potentials (ERP) and the Implicit Association Test (IAT) in victims and former combatants, this project proposes an applied extension focused on a new population: professional military personnel in the process of retiring.

Using a combination of neurophysiological techniques (EEG), implicit bias tests (IAT), and validated psychometric instruments (PCL-C, RPQ), the project will compare military personnel who identify as victims with those who do not, in terms of their emotional and cognitive processing of conflict-related stimuli.

The research will be conducted by the Political Psychology Laboratory (PoliPsyLab), which possesses the technical infrastructure, methodological expertise, and international partnerships necessary for its implementation. The project is expected to generate empirical evidence useful for advancing the recognition of the harms suffered by veterans and for informing a public health approach to victim status that goes beyond current legal frameworks.

The main outcomes include the publication of a scientific article, complemented by outreach activities, training for young researchers, and advocacy efforts aimed at transforming public policy in post-conflict contexts, such as the Victims Unit and the Veterans Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. Additionally, participants will receive a certification of the impacts resulting from the conflict as a form of symbolic social reparation and as supporting documentation for their requests for assistance from the aforementioned institutions.