HOW THE WAR

STRESS AFFECTED
TO THE SOLDIERS
AND WIDOWS
Maleesha Induwari 

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.

Topics
1.The way war stress affected to the
soldiers
2.The way war stress affected to
widows ( with experience )
PRESENTATION TITLE
2

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 1. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and major
depression.
2. self-harms
3. suicide attempts 
4. Traumatic brain injuries

The way war 5. Alcohol and Substance Abuse ( Tobacco , Cannabis

)
stress affected
to the soldiers
PRESENTATION TITLE 3
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC.
 When I heard the death of my husband, my entire world collapsed. He was a
Lance Cpl in the Army and we were living in his house with his mother and two
unmarred sisters.

I still have a fragmented memory of the funeral. Some events I cannot

remember. My three-year daughter who had no clue about father’s death asked
various questions. I did not know what would happen to the daughter and me
after my husband’s death.

After several months, my mother in law and husband’s two sisters started
passing negative comments. They blamed me for his death. They implied that I

The way war was unlucky and since I came to their house, the things changed negatively.
Even the neighbors avoided me.

stress
I had to go to Panagoda the Army pay and pension branch to get my dead
husbands’ pension. They said he was a volunteer and it would take some time
and gave me papers to fill up. I had no idea how to do the paper work. I asked

affected to
my cousin brother to help me. The day I went to his house with the daughter to
get the paper work done my mother in law came up with false accusations and
blamed me for seeing men soon after the husband’s death. She humiliated me

the Widows
and demanded

PRESENTATION TITLE 4
 the full pension of my husband saying that I have no financial rights.

I had no place to go and my parents died when I was small. My relative had
no financial ability to look after me and my daughter. Therefore, I had no
other option living with the husband’s relatives facing humiliations every
day. When I received my husband’s pension, my mother in law took it. We
were given only food.

Every month I had to go to the Grama Niladari to confirm that I am still a

widow and not remarried. When I went to get sign, the document he used to
pass inappropriate jocks and once tried to touch my hand. I scolded him and
left the office. Ever since, he delayed signing my papers.

I became depressed and when the daughter went to sleep, I cried alone. If not
for her, I would have committed suicide ending this suffering. My mind
preoccupied with the events of my husband’s funeral. I had the mental
pictures of the coffin, his dead body, ceremonial uniform, and many more
things. I had mental pictures of these miserable events. Constantly I had fear
feelings and uncertainty of future. My memory started fading and I could not

s concentrate. Gradually I have become a living dead………….