Severe mental disorders in complex emergencies

People with severe mental disorders are a neglected and vulnerable group in complex emergencies. Here, we describe field experiences in establishing mental health services in five humanitarian settings. We show data to quantify the issue, and suggest reasons for this neglect. We then outline the actions needed to establish services in these settings, including the provision of practical training, medication, psychosocial supports, and, when appropriate, work with traditional healers.

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Intervention Healing communities by strengthening social capital: a Narrative Theatre approach

Chapter 1: What is Narrative Theatre: an introduction to the approach and conceptual framework

The effects of trauma on community life

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Does peace have a prayer? The effect of mortality salience, compassionate values, and religious fundamentalism on hostility toward out-groups

Religious fundamentalism has been shown to be associated with higher levels of prejudice, ethnocentrism,
and militarism, in spite of the compassionate values promoted by the religious faiths that most fundamentalists
believe in. Based on terror management theory, we hypothesized that priming these compassionate
values would encourage a shift toward less support for violent solutions to the current Middle Eastern conflict,
especially when they are combined with reminders of one’s mortality. Study 1 demonstrated that

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A mixed methods field based assessment to design a mental health intervention after the 2005 earthquake in Mansehra, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan

The capacity of thepre disaster mental health system in Pakistan was weak, and the earthquake affected areas in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan were among the most underserved areas in the country in terms of adequate mental health services. The natural disaster exposed the weaknesses in the mental health delivery system in most of these areas. This paper describes a mixed methods field based assessment to design a mental health intervention in the earthquake affected district of Mansehra of NWFP.

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Vulnerable social groups in postconflict settings: a mixed methods policy analysis and epidemiology study of caste and psychological morbidity in Nepal

Designing and implementing psychosocial intervention programmes in post conflict settings requires a breadth of knowledge of the context, circumstances, and needs of vulnerable social groups. However, mixed methods research focusing on which groups are vulnerable, and their specific psychosocial needs, is rarely conducted. This study uses historical policy discourse analysis to identify the origins of contemporary social categories related to vulnerability in Nepal, specifically caste.

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An evaluation of the Kakuma Emotional Wellbeing Interview (KEWI)

The success of interventions to address psychosocial issues depends on effectively identifying areas in which assistance is needed, and measuring whether the intervention is providing that assistance. This study evaluates one attempt to develop a locally meaningful assessment of emotional wellbeing (the Kakuma Emotional Wellbeing Interview or KEWI) using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The KEWI was found to have good reliability and validity according to a quantitative study, but a qualitative study highlighted some challenges.

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Distress, wellbeing and war: qualitative analyses of civilian interviews from north eastern Sri Lanka

This paper outlines a methodology for the development of culturally sensitive measures of war problems (including psychological and behavioural problems) and wellbeing for use among refugees affected by the recently concluded civil war in Sri Lanka. These measures were derived from qualitative data collected from individuals living in areas affected by the civil war. The authors utilised a qualitative data analysis methodology, involving both open coding and thematic analysis.

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Daily stressors in the lives of Sri Lankan youth: a mixed methods approach to assessment in a context of war and natural disaster

This paper describes the use of a mixed methods design to develop the Sri Lankan Children’s Daily Stressor Scale (CDSS).

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Combining qualitative and quantitative research methods to support psychosocial and mental health programmes in complex emergencies. Introduction to this Special Issue

This special edition of Intervention is dedicated to applied research in the field of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. Here ‘applied’ refers to research useful in programme design, monitoring and evaluation. The issue focuses on disasters and complex emergencies, because conducting research and interventions under these conditions is one of the field’s major challenges.

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Feedback from local staff. Experiences that changed my life: the story of an Afghan woman working with a psychosocial project

In this report the author, an Afghan woman, describes her personal and professional development while working with an international nongovernmental organization in her country. In 1996, under the Taliban regime, she started to work on a project battling malnutrition with the Action Contre la Faim (ACF) She later took part in a psychosocial project to assist women and children. Her professional experiences and personal life are strongly interrelated. The psychosocial work has profoundly changed her situation and her outlook on life.

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