# Introduction uman goals are multi-faceted including political motives, regional aspirations, religious superiority, cultural dominance, etc. and magnitude of individual's frustration determines his future course of action for the attainment of these goals. According to frustration-aggression paradigm, inability to tolerate the effects of frustration becomes the potential cause of violent behavior. Such violence, aggression, insurgency and terrorism are the real expressions of non-containment of human behavior, unacceptable to the member of the society or citizens of any country. Benjamin Netanyahus defined terrorism as, "a deliberate and systematic murder, maiming, and menacing of the innocent to inspire fear for political ends" as innocent people are killed in any conflict or war (Kawilarang, 2004). Terrorism is however not a mindless violence. The terrorist action may be incredibly destructive and evil, but the events are generally very well planned, wellrehearsed, and well executed. Terrorism is often a grandiose display of power and military skill. Terrorism has real goals and definite objectives (Quarles, 2000). The turmoil in Kashmir started in 1988. For the last 28 years everyone is scared, streets become defeated when it's dark, and except the sound of gun fire here and there, there is deathly silence everywhere. In this state of fear and anxiety, the essential services do not function properly. People see an atmosphere of neglect and decay everywhere. The deepest anxiety among ordinary people arises when they fear a collapse of law and order, and also fear that they and their loved ones are vulnerable to the armed intruder. Thus, they can protect neither their life nor their property. Terrorism works towards a collapse of the social order and terrorists exploit this situation by trying to project them as a better alternative. The issue of Kashmir has been a contention issues between the two neighbors of South Asia, i.e. India and Pakistan which are responsible for the continued strained relations between these republics since October 1947. Thus, the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir is more than sixty years old. Since then, anger and frustration started taking place giving rise to insurgency and terrorism which also got support of external forces across border. The possible reason of terrorism lie in different psychosocial factors such as frustration in life, suppression by others, lack of equal opportunities, tendency to dominate, deprivation, poverty, caste hierarchy, lack of wisdom of ruling group, cultural diversities, change in value systems, fundamentalism and revivalism, feelings of insecurity, ethnic identity, lack of social support, increased stress and decreased quality of life etc. are the root causes of such behavior of terrorism. It may be due to these reasons that the people living in terrorism prone areas as Kashmir are observed Taylor (1994) has noted two basic psychological approaches to understanding terroriststhat have been commonly used are either the terrorist is viewed mentally ill or as fanatic. Laqueuer (1977) stated that "Terrorists are fanatics and fanaticism frequently makes for cruelty and sadism". Terrorism creates a psychological state of extreme fear and anxiety same as the proportion to the physical damage it causes in terms of loss of life and property. The causalities as a result of terrorist acts or due to counter terrorist action by security forces is a common talk in Kashmir. to lack motivation, feel depressed, are under stressors and lack social support. Social support is the physical and emotional comfort given by one's family, friends, co-workers and significant others (Cassel, 1976). Many studies have demonstrated that social support acts as a moderating factor in the development of psychological and/or physical disease (such as clinical depression or hypertension) which occur as a result of stressful life events such as terrorism. Thus, social support helps in reducing stress of both the person and the supporter (Brown et al., 2003). Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or animal to respond appropriately to emotional or physical threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined (Selye, 1956). Social issues can also cause stress, such as struggles with specific or difficult individuals and social defeat, or relationship conflict. Stress may also occur due to profound psychological and emotional trauma, apart from any actual physical harm which has been often experienced by the people witnessing terrorist activities (Glavas and Weinberg, 2006). Thus, stress is found to adversely affect family, work or school life, sleeping and eating habits, general health of people and in total, their quality of life. Quality of life is an individual's own perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns (Oolan et al., 1992). Huddy and Feldman (2011) studied that after the 9/11 terrorist attacks some Americans who perceived that nation could be at threat from terrorism, felt angry at terrorists. In contrast, Americans who were personally affected by the attacks were more likely to feel anxious about terrorism, and this anxiety translated into less support for overseas military action. # II. # Objective The main objective of the study is to assess the level of social support, perceived stress and quality of life among the Kashmir students and compare them with the level of social support, perceived stress and quality of life of students residing in Jaipur. 1. To determine the level of social support among the students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur. 2. To delineate the level of perceived stress among the students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur. 3. To assess the level of quality of life among the students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur. 1. There will be a significant difference in the level of social support among the students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur. 2. A significant difference in the level of perceived stress among the students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur will be observed. 3. The level of quality of life will differ significantlybetween the students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur. IV. Variables The total sample of 50 migrated Kashmir students and 50 students residing in Jaipur were selected on the availability basis. 1 # VI. inclusion criteria 1. Male students between the age group of 20-25 years were selected. 2. Kashmiri students were selected after checking their Identity proofs and taking verbal information about them from the respective colleges where they have studied 3. The detail of the terrorist activities they have witnessed or have been victims of was taken. 4. Those Kashmiri students were selected who have not stayed in Jaipur for more than seven days. 5. Students residing as well as belonging to Jaipur were selected for comparison. 6. Informed consent was taken. # Procedure Students of Kashmir and Jaipur according to the sample and inclusion criteria were identified, located and selected for the study. After the respondents were identified, they were contacted on one to one basis and the questionnaires were administered and thus data collection was accomplished. Before administering the questionnaires, verbal consent of the subject was All the questionnaires were administered one by one in accordance with the instructions on them with the help of the combined response sheet prepared of all the three questionnaires to be administered. Scoring and analysis was done as per requirement X. 3. No prior knowledge of the tests was given to the subject. 4. Subjects were treated very friendly and patiently so that they could perform the task well. # Research Design XII. # Statistical Analysis Mean, SD, t-test, was applied to the data obtained. # XIII. Discussion The purpose of the study was to assess the level of social support, perceived stress and quality of life among the Kashmiri students who are either affected by or have witnessed the consequences of terrorism and compare them with the level of social support, perceived stress and quality of life of students residing in Jaipur. The hypothesis which was formulated stated that there will be a significant difference in the level of social support, perceived stress and quality of life among the students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur. The obtained data was put to the t-test, mean and SD. The results obtained are depicted in the following table: # Kashmir and students of Jaipur The table shown above, indicates the comparison among the two groups namely Kashmiri students (n=50) and students residing in Jaipur (n=50) on the background of social support, perceived stress and quality of life scores. It may be depicted from the table that students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur differ significantly on the scores of social support as the mean scores obtained of Kashmir group was 49.76 and that of Jaipur group was 59.51, SD was calculated as 17.02 and 9.09 for the two groups respectively. The t-ratio came out to be 2.74 which was significant at 0.01 level. This shows that the students of Kashmir perceive less support of their families and other people of the society .The main reason of this result may be that these students do not get proper freedom to go out and # Jaipur Students Result Table 1: Showing Mean, SD, SED, t-ratio and significance level on Social Support, Stress and Quality of Life between students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur. Volume XVII Issue II Version I 45 ( A ) Global Journal of Human Social Science -Year 2017 Psychological Consequences Of Terrorism on Students mingle with other people; they remain in an insecure environment which makes them isolated. Terrorism creates a state of mind where anxiety and fear dominate the people's thinking and behavior and people are afraid to talk to others, trust them or make friends. Terrorists have succeeded in creating such a stressful effect in Kashmir for the last fifteen years. Students of Kashmir and students of Jaipur were also found to differ significantly on the scores of perceived stress as the mean score of Kashmir group was 29.87 (SD=14.05 )and mean of Jaipur group is 25.04 (SD=8.12).The t-ratio of the mean scores was calculated as 2.26which was significant at 0.05 level hence proving the hypothesis. These scores indicate that in the face of escalating tensions created by terrorism and aftershocks and trauma of violent crime, it becomes essential to study the psychological aspects of communities who confront terror incidents and terrorizing environment constantly. High level of perceived stress indicates that the residents of Kashmir feel threats to their security and safety. They long for stability and peace in their homeland. In the next variable administered, i.e. quality of life, the mean obtained from the data of students of Kashmir and that of students residing in Jaipur came out to be 62.17 and 70.58respectively. The SD calculated from the mean was 23.15 and 18.22 for the two groups respectively. Further, the t-ratio attained (4.19) was found to be significant at 0.05 level which clearly indicated that the quality of life of migrated students from Kashmir is less than that of the students residing in Jaipur. The environment around them provides fewer opportunities for them to care about their own physical and mental health. This situation also leads to lack of presence of essential facilitates, thus, decreasing the people's level of quality of life. There are few studies conducted, which depict the noxious and delirious impact of terrorism and violence on the psychological well-being of the people. Most of the studies have emphasized the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder of the people who have survived the terrorist attacks. Poor mental health and stress are highlighted in many related studies along with other related psychological abnormalities. Hoge and Palvin,(2002) studied psychological consequences after terrorist attack which suggest that diagnostic groups showed depression, anxiety , acute and post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder and other behavioral health problems and adjustment reaction in adults. Conrad and Kevin Greene (2015) mentioned that terrorism not only affects an individual or the society but also affects the political and economic system of that particular country. Therefore, Rizzo et. al (2015) while studying the victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks stated that Humans exposed to war and terrorist attacks are at risk for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and Virtual reality (VR) delivered exposure therapy for PTSD is currently being used to treat combat and terrorist attack related PTSD with initial reports of positive outcomes. Similarly, Rousseau et. al (2015) who is been conducting a systematic review of 9/11 victims especially children's and young adult's mental health since last 10 years highlighted the broad social consequences of the socio-political transformations associated with the terror context and effect of it on the daily life of the victims. Thus, informal or familial social support plays an important role in reducing stress and enhancing the well-being of the terror attack survivors (Weinberg, 2015). Therefore, these studies too indicate the psychological state of a person who experiences these traumatic and extremely fearful situations. There is a growing need of developing a peaceful world where everyone can live happily and freely. # XIV. # Conclusion Thus, the present study indicated that the students of Kashmir perceive less social support, quality of life and more stress in comparison with the students residing in Jaipur at a significant level. The residents of Kashmir feel threat to their security and safety. They long for stability and peace in their homeland. # XV. Limitations 1. The sample size may be large in order to generalize the results. 2. Comparisons may be further done on gender and other sociode mographic variable basis. # An intervention program or training program may be prepared in order to enhance the significance of the research. 4. More questionnaires in order to assess mental state of victims may be added to go into further details of the research. # XVI. # Public Significance Statement This study gives an idea of the level of improvement required in the direction of enhancing the well-being of people of Kashmir. Awareness programs may be formalized on the basis of the present research conducted. This research opens new vistas for further research. ![-Quality of Life (questionnaire in Hindi)(Saxena, Chandramani& Bhargava, 1998) Hence, in this study an attempt has been made to see the condition of social support, perceived stress and quality of life among the people of Kashmir by assessing the Kashmir students who are either affected by or have witnessed the consequences of terrorism and comparing them with the students residing in Jaipur.](image-2.png "") ![1. Brown, S. L., Nesse, R. M.,Vinokur, A. D. and Smith D. M. (2003). Providing social support may be more beneficial than receiving it: Results from a prospective study of mortality. P sychological Science, 14, 320-327. Volume XVII Issue II Version I 46 ( A )](image-3.png "") © 2017 Global Journals Inc. (US) ## Global Journals Inc. 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