Do radicalized persons have access to psychotherapeutic support? Selected results of guided interviews

Background In association with extremist violence it is discussed which role psychotherapists could play in prevention and early detection of radicalization, especially to prevent unfavorable developmental trends in young people. The current state of research does not give any insights into the contact between radicalized individuals and psychotherapists. Therefore, the subject of this study was to investigate whether radicalized individuals have access to the psychotherapeutic support or other help systems and whether there have been indications for psychotherapeutic treatment during their life. Material and methods In order to answer the question, guided interviews were carried out with seven young adults, who were considered as "radicalized" by experts. The interviews were analyzed by qualitative content analysis. Results The subjects stated that they had no or very little contact to psychotherapists despite experiencing great psychological distress caused by traumatic childhood events, for which a therapeutic intervention would probably have been helpful. The need for psychotherapeutic support was recognized by the participants; however, they expressed scepticism towards psychological help. Conclusion It is discussed how radicalized persons can have improved access to psychotherapeutic help, for example through a better networking and referral process of the various help systems. The results of this pilot study are based on a small study population; therefore, further research concerning this subject matter should be carried out despite the extremely limited access to appropriate subjects.