A Study of Life Orientation Among Individuals Affected by War

The 2008 Russia–Georgia war substantially altered the living conditions, psychological well-being, and future-oriented cognitive-emotional attitudes of the affected population. War-induced trauma may be conceptualized as a mass catastrophe that exerts significant psychological influence not only on individuals but also on society, shaping its subsequent development and life orientations. Optimistic and pessimistic attitudes toward life determine individuals’ everyday functioning, decision-making, and long-term adaptation. Life orientation represents a core cognitive-emotional mechanism associated with psychological health and the capacity for social reintegration. Accordingly, its examination is particularly important among groups with experiences of high stress, forced displacement, and loss of safety. Although the post-war psychological consequences have been widely studied at the symptomatic level, the influence of traumatic experience on future-oriented cognitive appraisals and life attitudes in the Georgian population has been insufficiently described. In line with this, the aim of the present study was to assess life orientation among individuals with war experience using a quantitative method, specifically the Life Orientation Test. Based on the data analysis, it was found that life orientation among individuals with war experience was associated with elevated pessimism, indicating that war-related experiences shape not only emotional responses but also long-term cognitive evaluations.