Does the recent intensification of nationalistic and xenophobic attitudes in Eastern European countries adversely affect public mental health?

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Background:
The authors postulate that the recent intensification of the nationalist and xenophobic attitude in Poland and other Eastern European countries is detrimental to public mental health. The xenophobic attitude is accompanied by a higher incidence of anxiety and depression, disputes due to the polarization of opinions, a sense of embarrassment and a sense of contradictions with so-called Christian values, unfavorable demographic predictions and reduced life satisfaction.

Discussion:
The authors attempt to describe the sequence of adverse events that led to the intensification of xenophobia and characterize the current state of public mental health in European countries. They formulate and propose possible actions which could counteract the consequences of that transformation.

Short conclusion:
The actions which may be undertaken to counteract the deterioration of public mental health can be based on the recommendations of so-called ‘positive psychology’ and ‘positive psychiatry’ as well as the principles of strengthening local social capital.

Keywords:
Nationalistic attitude, Xenophobia, Xenophobic attitude, Eastern Europe, Public mental health, Positive psychology, Positive psychiatry, Social capital, Coherence, Immigration

Autoři: Andrzej Brodziak ^1*; Alicja Różyk-Myrta ²; Agnieszka Wolińska ²
Působiště autorů: Institute of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, Koscielna 13, 41- 00 Sosnowiec, Poland. ¹; Institute of Nursing, University of Applied Sciences, Armi Krajowej 7, 48-300 Nysa, Poland. ²
Vyšlo v časopise: BMC Public Health 2016, 16:1115
Kategorie: Debate
prolekare.web.journal.doi_sk: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3785-3

© 2016 The Author(s).

Open access
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The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3785-3

Souhrn

Keywords:
Nationalistic attitude, Xenophobia, Xenophobic attitude, Eastern Europe, Public mental health, Positive psychology, Positive psychiatry, Social capital, Coherence, Immigration

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