Mental Health of Adolescents in Jammu and Kashmir: An Ethnographic Study of the Impact of Violence

Militancy-related violence and conflicts have become common causes of trauma worldwide.

Jammu and Kashmir has experienced violence since 1989. Previous research on adolescent

mental health in Jammu and Kashmir has focused on the prevalence of mental health disorders

and the identification of their risk factors. The subjective meanings of trauma or expressions

used by adolescents to describe these meanings remain largely unexplored. This paper, based

on data collected using an ethnographic approach, attempts to understand the subjective

experience of trauma and the mental health of adolescents exposed to violence in the social

and cultural context of Jammu and Kashmir.