Young Protesters Emotional Experiences and Mental Health in Post-July Revolution in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s July 2024 revolution was rallied by thousands of young people who changed ‎the political landscape of the nation. While research has examined clinical samples and direct ‎victims of state violence, little attention has been given to young protesters who were not ‎physically harmed but still faced psychological challenges. This study explores the emotional ‎experiences, identity issues, and unmet expectations of these youth following the revolution. ‎Using a qualitative exploratory design, 35 participants aged 17–28 who joined protests ‎without physical injury were interviewed through semi-structured in-depth sessions ‎conducted in Bangla and English. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six-phase ‎reflexive thematic analysis. Three major themes emerged: (i) post-revolutionary ‎disillusionment and political mistrust, evidenced by disappointment with slow institutional ‎transformation; (ii) manifestations of physiological and trauma distress despite not ‎experiencing direct physical violence and (iii) civic awakening and identity transformation, ‎thus reflecting participants reconfiguration of political identity and citizenship. Findings ‎show that Bangladesh’s young protesters form a psychologically vulnerable yet politically ‎adaptive group. While mental health struggles, emotional confusion, and mistrust are ‎widespread, resilience and cautious re-engagement also appear. The study challenges the ‎clinical bias of existing post-conflict research and highlights activism as in itself a situation ‎of potential psychological harm and healing.‎