Structural violence and public health in Yemen: Social and psychological consequences of protracted conflict

This article examines the social and psychological consequences of the Yemeni conflict through the lens of structural violence. The review analyzes how institutional collapse, service disruption, and fragmented governance have produced sustained patterns of deprivation affecting health, water, food, education, livelihoods, and social relations. It further explores the psychological effects associated with prolonged insecurity, including chronic stress, trauma symptoms, social isolation, and distress linked to displacement, service deterioration, and economic instability. By integrating theoretical perspectives on structural violence with empirical findings from the Yemeni context, the study shows how political and economic structures shape the distribution and persistence of harm. The analysis highlights the limits of humanitarian interventions operating within these constraints and underscores the need to understand the conflict's consequences as embedded within systemic arrangements rather than isolated acts of violence.