The Comfort Dog Project of Northern Uganda : An Innovative Canine-Assisted Psychosocial Trauma Recovery Programme

In 2012, BIG FIX Uganda, an American-based animal welfare organisation, began offering veterinary health services and animal welfare education in northern Uganda to improve the wellbeing of animals and their guardians. In 2014, the organisation expanded its inclusive health platform with the creation of the Comfort Dog Project − an animal-assisted psychosocial intervention for survivors of war trauma through the facilitation of human-dog companionship.

 

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COVID-19 and Refugees in Malaysia : An NGO Response

COVID-19, a watershed moment in global health, has brought health inequalities into sharp focus exposing structural disadvantage and institutional discrimination experienced by disenfranchised populations. Focusing on urban refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia who are deemed of irregular status under the law, this field report outlines the legal and policy responses of the government and the impact of COVID-19 on refugees.

 

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Capturing Intervention in Its Context : The Next Frontier in Disaster Response Evaluation and Scale-Up Planning

Disasters and humanitarian crises threaten the health and wellbeing of people across the world, especially in more vulnerable regions. Many efforts are made to ensure that public health interventions, including mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), are based on the best available evidence.

 

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On the importance of primary and community healthcare in relation to global health and environmental threats : lessons from the COVID-19 crisis

In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that primary healthcare systems play a critical role in clinical care, such as patient screening, triage, physical and psychological support and also in promoting good community advice and awareness in coordination with secondary healthcare and preventive care. Because of the role of social and environmental factors in COVID-19 transmission and burden of disease, it is essential to ensure that there is adequate coordination of population-based health services and public health interventions.

 

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Provision of social support by mayors in times of crisis : a cross-sectional study among Dutch mayors

Background: During times of crisis, mayors may play an important role as public leaders and providers of social support to affected residents. However, empirical studies have not yet been conducted among the involved mayors about the support they provide and the factors associated with it.

 

Objective: The aim is to examine the support the mayors provided to the affected residents during crises and to test the possible determinants of this support.

 

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Immediate and long-term health impact of exposure to gas-mining induced earthquakes and related environmental stressors

Background: Little is known about the public health impact of chronic exposure to physical and social stressors in the human environment. Objective of this study was to investigate the immediate and long-term health effects of living in an environment with gas-mining induced earthquakes and related stressors in the Netherlands.

 

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Themanummer : Mental health and psychosocial support, Data and displacement, Missing migrants

Inhoud 

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Stabilizing group treatment for childhood-abuse related PTSD : a randomized controlled trial

Background: Patients with PTSD related to childhood-abuse often experience additional problems such as emotional dysregulation and interpersonal difficulties. Psychotherapy focused on stabilization of symptoms, emotion-regulation, and skills training has been suggested as a treatment for this patient population, either as preparation for further treatment or as a stand-alone intervention.

 

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Prevalence, predictors and associations of complex post-traumatic stress disorder with common mental disorders in refugees and forcibly displaced populations : a systematic review

Background: The inclusion of complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) in ICD-11 represents a turning point for the field of traumatic stress, with accumulative evidence of this disorder in refugees and displaced populations.

 

Objective: The objectives of this systematic review are to examine, in refugee and displaced populations: 1) the prevalence of CPTSD; 2) factors contributing to CPTSD; and 3) and associations between CPTSD and other common mental disorders including: PTSD, depression, anxiety and somatisation.

 

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Virtual Reality Therapy in Mental Health

Initially designed for the treatment of phobias, the use of virtual reality in phobic disorders has expanded to other mental health disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, substance-related disorders, eating disorders, psychosis, and autism spectrum disorder. The goal of this review is to provide an accessible understanding of why this approach is important for future practice, given its potential to provide clinically relevant information associated with the assessment and treatment of people suffering from mental illness.

 

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