Maritime geopolitics and mental health: socio-psychological impacts on strategic tension in the Indian Ocean coastal communities

Purpose This paper aims to explore how maritime geopolitical tensions, especially between China and India, exist in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and impact the mental health and social inclusion of coastal communities. While most strategic analyses focus on military and economic factors, this research incorporates human security perspectives. Design/methodology/approach Using an interdisciplinary framework that combines developmental psychology, strategic studies and geopolitical field analysis, this conceptual study highlights understudied mental health risks through qualitative case studies and secondary data from the IOR. Findings The results indicate that in regions of militarized maritime development, anxiety, chronic stress, identity displacement and communal fragmentation are becoming more common. Stressors include foreign intervention and strategic uncertainty. A disproportionate number of women, children and displaced workers are impacted. Originality/value This study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is one of the first to link psychological health at the grassroots level with maritime security strategy, urges policymakers to incorporate human-centered approaches into regional and national security planning. This study argues that growing strategic anxiety necessitates an integrated approach to national security, one that considers mental health and human security, particularly in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.