In South Africa, there is a high rate of events such as criminal violence, stress and sexual assault, particularly in lower socio-economic status (SES) communities. Problems are particularly acute amongst indigenous groups. In spite of the great need for interventions for those having experienced these events, little information is available to guide treatment choices.

In this article, the author sought to raise awareness of and discuss ways to effectively address contextual challenges faced by mental health workers who provide therapeutic services to child rape survivors in war-affected regions, in general, and in the cultural context of the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in particular, where rape is considered a sexual taboo, causing or amplifying attachment issues for survivors. A qualitative analysis of current literature review and therapeutic practice has been conducted in this article.

Using Canada and Ukraine as examples, this article asserts the importance of moving beyond addressing posttraumatic stress disorder as the major mental health focus in peacebuilding, to a more global whole health strategy as a way of building resilience in communities, preparing them better to deal with conflicts of different kinds, and generally providing habitus for people of all health and abilities to thrive. Authors who are academics, mental health service users and service providers examine current barriers to and movements toward mental health and wellness in their countries.

While there is growing evidence for the effectiveness of mental health interventions in low- and middle-income countries and humanitarian contexts, this is lacking for psychosocial programming. We aimed to summarise the evidence for psychosocial programming in these contexts through a systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42017069066) of peer-reviewed and grey literature of programme evaluations. A total of n=42,435 unique records were initially identified, with n=211 records meeting full inclusion criteria. We identified 51 randomised controlled trials of 47 different interventions.