Psychological interventions for children and young people affected by armed conflict or political violence : a systematic literature review

Youths exposed to armed conflict have a higher prevalence of mental health and psychosocial difficulties. Diverse interventions exist that aim to ameliorate the effect of armed conflict on the psychological and psychosocial wellbeing of conflict affected youths. However, the evidence base for the effectiveness of these interventions is limited. Using standard review methodology, this review aims to address the effectiveness of psychological interventions employed among this population. The search was performed across four databases and grey literature.

Psychosocial support among refugees

The aim of this paper is to examine the psychosocial needs and stressors among refugees of con£icts within

developing countries, and their group based, social support mechanisms. Systematic literature searches

of peer reviewed journal articles (nU60 articles) were carried out using the following factors: type

(refugee); cause (con’icts); location (developing countries). As refugees move towards a prolonged

urban displacement phase, needs and stressors became di!erent than those of the acute phase.While

The microcosms of violence

Acts of violence are often studied as facts, not as cultural and symbolic expressions.Within this article,

the author will shed light on another dimension; explaining how a personal experience of unprovoked

assault changed the author’s scholarly vision of the intrusive nature of violence, as well as how violence

in£uences the subjective perception of victims. He will show that during that moment of violence, all

cultural meaning unravels and the social imagery of the perpetrator is internalised by those that are victimised.

‘The problem is the silence’ : challenges providing support to local INGO staff in Gaza

​This field report reviews some of the challenges encountered in providing support to local international, nongovernmental organisations staff in Gaza, shortly following the cessation of conflict in July and August of 2014. Methodology and the content of group sessions are described. The paper concludes with highlights from the evaluation, reflections on what was learned, and some recommendations on the provision of further staff support in the future.

A classroom based intervention in conflict affected Poso, Indonesia : synthesising lessons learned from research and practice

This paper describes lessons learned from a classroom based intervention, which was implemented in the post conflict area of Poso, Indonesia. These lessons are drawn from qualitative research and a randomised controlled trial in the area, as well as data from our own programme monitoring and evaluation. We describe these lessons learned from a socio-ecological perspective, making recommendations to strengthen the classroom based intervention's connection with critical mental health and psychosocial issues relevant at individual, family and wider community levels.

Mental health and psychosocial support for the internally displaced persons in Bannu, Pakistan

Following armed conflict in the North Waziristan Agency, a mental health and psychosocial support initiative was launched for internally displaced persons in Bannu, Pakistan. This was convened by volunteer mental health professionals, in collaboration with a variety of agencies (provincial government, military, humanitarian agencies) in a security compromised region. As part of the initiative, monthly camps were held for a period of six months. Mental health needs were assessed.

Single Session Therapy as a framework for post disaster practice in low and middle income countries

In response to a disaster in high income countries, disaster mental health professionals typically have, at most, one encounter with a survivor of the event. After providing the initial psychosocial interventions, the individual is either referred to follow-up mental health resources or has access to the mental health delivery system. When disasters occur in low and middle income countries, access to follow-up and treatment for mental health issues may be unavailable or limited in capacity.

A post disaster capacity building model in Peru

This paper presents a model of a capacity building intervention, which encompasses twophases: reception and familiarity (a process of getting to know people to beyond their problems) and community mobilisation. This intervention was conducted with 65 participants from Chincha (Peru) urban and rural areas after the earthquake of 15 August 2007, highlighting a community intervention that was based on the content and methodology generated during the sessions.

Treating Complex Trauma in Children and Their Families : An integrative approach

This book provides specific, in-depth individual, group, and family therapy interventions for complex psychological trauma, and focuses on the treatment of 6-12 year-old children and their family members. The authors employ an evidence-based, yet flexible and individualized treatment model, Integrative Treatment of Complex Trauma for Children (ITCT-C), as they address the use of play therapy and...

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