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Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Crisis and Conflict: Report of the Mental Health Working Group

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

K. Allden ,
L. Jones ,
I. Weissbecker ,
M. Wessells ,
P. Bolton ,
T.S. Betancourt ,
Z. Hijazi ,
A. Galappatti ,
R. Yamout  and
P. Patel
...Show all authors
K. Allden*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire USA
L. Jones
Affiliation:
International Medical Corps and Developmental Psychiatry Section, Cambridge University, UK
I. Weissbecker
Affiliation:
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts USA
M. Wessells
Affiliation:
Columbia University, New York, New York USA
P. Bolton
Affiliation:
Center for Refugee and Disaster Response, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland USA
T.S. Betancourt
Affiliation:
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Z. Hijazi
Affiliation:
International Medical Corps, Middle East Programs
A. Galappatti
Affiliation:
Department of Social Anthropology, University of Edinburgh and the Institute for International Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK
R. Yamout
Affiliation:
Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
P. Patel
Affiliation:
Northeastern University School of Law/Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts USA
A. Sumathipala
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry Kings College, University of London, London, UK
*
Health Care and Rehabilitation Services49 School StreetHartford, Vermont 05049 USA E-mail: kathleen.allden@dartmouth.edu
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Abstract

Introduction:

The Working Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support was convened as part of the 2009 Harvard Humanitarian Action Summit. The Working Group chose to focus on ethical issues in mental health and psychosocial research and programming in humanitarian settings. The Working Group built on previous work and recommendations, such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings.

Objectives:

The objective of this working group was to address one of the factors contributing to the deficiency of research and the need to develop the evidence base on mental health and psychosocial support interventions during complex emergencies by proposing ethical research guidelines. Outcomes research is vital for effective program development in emergency settings, but to date, no comprehensive ethical guidelines exist for guiding such research efforts.

Methods:

Working Group members conducted literature reviews which included peer-reviewed publications, agency reports, and relevant guidelines on the following topics: general ethical principles in research, cross-cultural issues, research in resource-poor countries, and specific populations such as trauma and torture survivors, refugees, minorities, children and youth, and the mentally ill. Working Group members also shared key points regarding ethical issues encountered in their own research and fieldwork.

Results:

The group adapted a broad definition of the term “research”, which encompasses needs assessments and data gathering, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The guidelines are conceptualized as applying to formal and informal processes of assessment and evaluation in which researchers as well as most service providers engage. The group reached consensus that it would be unethical not to conduct research and evaluate outcomes of mental health and psychosocial interventions in emergency settings, given that there currently is very little good evidence base for such interventions. Overarching themes and issues generated by the group for further study and articulation included: purpose and benefits of research, issues of validity, neutrality, risk, subject selection and participation, confidentiality, consent, and dissemination of results.

Conclusions:

The group outlined several key topics and recommendations that address ethical issues in conducting mental health and psychosocial research in humanitarian settings. The group views this set of recommendations as a living document to be further developed and refined based on input from colleagues representing different regions of the globe with an emphasis on input from colleagues from low-resource countries.

Keywords

conflictcross-culturalemergencyhumanitarianinternally displaced personmental healthpsychosocialrefugeeresearch ethics
Type
Working Group 6
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 24 , supplement S2: 2009 Humanitarian Action Summit , August 2009 , pp. s217 - s227
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2009

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