How Process Matters in Strengthening MHPSS : A Reflection

In developing the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, attention to social process was key for success. In retrospect, humility was crucial for reflecting on one’s own dogmas, opening up to different points of view and avoiding ideological fixity and unproductive debates. Inclusivity was the key for enabling learning from diverse perspectives and areas of expertise, drawing on understandings from different countries and developing richly contextual approaches.

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A Brief Reflection on Paper Titled “Mental Health Training of Primary Health Care Workers : Case Reports from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Jordan”

Reading the paper more than a decade after publishing it in the journal Intervention in 2011 brought back memories of the fieldwork done in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Jordan. The objective of this paper was to share the lessons learnt about the integration of mental health into primary healthcare in three settings. I remember that already in 2011, I shared the paper with all the relevant stakeholders whom I mentioned in the acknowledgement section of the paper. The feedback from all of them who responded was generally positive.

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Competency Assessment of Non-Specialists Delivering a Psychological Intervention in Lebanon : A Process Evaluation

There is an increasing need to improve the competency and quality of non-specialists delivering psychological interventions. As part of the Ensuring Quality in Psychological Support (EQUIP) initiative, this study evaluates the process of roleplay-based competency assessments using three tools to assess the competencies of facilitators delivering a psychological intervention for children in Lebanon.

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Development and Psychometric Testing of the Student Learning in Emergencies Checklist (SLEC) : Measuring Promotors of Academic Functioning and Wellbeing in Palestinian Youth Affected by War and Conflict

Youth living with war and ongoing conflict are frequently exposed to potentially traumatic events and cumulative stress which can result in temporarily impaired academic functioning and reduced wellbeing in school. In Palestine, the Ministry of Education has included psychosocial support programmes in the schools for the purpose of reducing stress reactions and improving school functioning amongst students.

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Decolonising Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Interventions in the Humanitarian System

Mental health is an increasing concern around the world, but there is a substantial gap in terms of access to quality mental healthcare between Western and non-Western countries. To help close this gap and improve the delivery of mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS), the UN’s 2016 Grand Bargain declared a new approach of prioritising the localisation of these services. This paper examines the effects of the Grand Bargain on the localisation of mental health and psychosocial support services in non-Western countries, as a means to decolonise mental health.

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Decolonising Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Interventions in the Humanitarian System

Mental health is an increasing concern around the world, but there is a substantial gap in terms of access to quality mental healthcare between Western and non-Western countries. To help close this gap and improve the delivery of mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS), the UN’s 2016 Grand Bargain declared a new approach of prioritising the localisation of these services. This paper examines the effects of the Grand Bargain on the localisation of mental health and psychosocial support services in non-Western countries, as a means to decolonise mental health.

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Psychosocial Programming in Uganda : Adaptations during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic brought concerns about mental health to the fore. While more and more people struggle with the mental health effects of experiencing a global pandemic, people in humanitarian settings may be even more at risk. In humanitarian settings, it may be more challenging to ensure accessible to mental health services and support staff who are implementing essential programmes amidst concerns for their own health.

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among University Students of Mosul, Iraq : An After Effect of War Atrocities

People in Mosul, Iraq faced many acts of violence between 2014 and 2017 when the city was seized by the terrorist group of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). We aimed to determine the prevalence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among university students in Mosul. This cross-sectional study was conducted between the period of 15 April and 29 December 2020. Data were collected from 305 university students by face-to-face interview. The Iraqi modified version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence and degree of PTSD symptoms.

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Lessons Learned in Using the Score of Perceived Outcomes (ScoPeO) Tool in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Programmes to Measure Quality of Life

Following the launch of the Impact and Quality of Life project in December 2012 by the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Humanity & Inclusion − formerly Handicap International (HI) − developed a new monitoring tool, the score of perceived outcomes (ScoPeO), which is now widely used across HI programmes to measure the quality of life.

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Social capital-based mental health interventions for refugees : Ukraine and beyond.

New knowledge about social capital and mental health for refugees is particularly timely in light of the current Ukrainian refugee situation. Several European countries, typically more accustomed to funding large-scale refugee aid operations on other continents, find themselves receiving and providing primary aid to waves of Ukrainian refugees. The United Nations estimates that more than 6.8 million people have left Ukraine (as of 29 May 20221), and 7.1 million have been internally displaced (as of 23 May 20222); the actual totals have likely increased in subsequent months.

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