An overview This scoping study provides an overview of the available literature on cultural and faith-based factors in the provision of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in Syria and Syrian refugee communities. It is based on a collaborative review of existing academic, policy and practice-focused publications. Cultural adaptation The study is primarily meant to […]
Policy brief This Policy Brief represents the reflections of more than 120 practitioners, policy-makers, academics and faith representatives engaged in work with displaced and migrating children from Syria, Ukraine and Latin America. Consultation-based In a series of consultations, this body identified threebarriers hindering access of children on the move to mental health and psychosocial support
Faith practices This study shows that faith practices were measurably associated with changes in distress and relief levels. Religiosity High levels of religiosity was related to both higher and lower feelings of distress in a significant way, evidencing that for many populations of faith around the world, processing traumatic events is linked to religious conviction.
Cultural adaptation This report details the findings of dialogue sessions on the topic of MHPSS and the Syrian context with key persons amongst the Syrian MHPSS community in charge of implementing MHPSS programmes on the ground, with a view of identifying their views on the subject of cultural adaptation of MHPSS approaches. New concept The
Cultural adaptation in the Syrian context This policy/practice paper focuses on developing culturally adapted MHPSS interventions for Syrian communities affected by the ongoing conflict and displacement, in order to better understand the impact of cultural adaptation on people’s mental health and psychosocial wellbeing. Desire and resistance This paper highlights the desire by many practitioners to
Beyond the individual The authors argue that local faith actors actions on mental distress go far beyond an individual dimension and are often tied to social fabrics and unbalanced social relations. They argue that humanitarianism’s engagement with local faith actors frequently overlooks essential aspects of their social role in the communities where they exist and
Faith and MHPSS during the COVID-19 pandemic This article explores the ways faith groups and faith leaders responded to the varied needs of their community, specifically their mental health and psychosocial needs. The authors detail how the COVID-19 pandemic, and its secondary impacts reemphasised the relevance of MHPSS in responding to crises, including in humanitarian
Growth of a field This large state of evidence document includes an explicit section on faith-sensitive psychosocial support which it suggest has emerged as a distinct interest over the last 5 years or so. The report highlights a growth in guidance documents, online learning, systematic and literature review and original research on this topic. Spirituality
State of the Evidence in Religions & Development Report Read More »
Women’s well-being The article explores how faith resilience and spiritual suffering influenced women’s well-being in various ways, having a profound impact on their mental health, both buffering and contributing to psychological distress. Responsive For some participants their engagement with religious practices had declined as they struggled to resolve the dissonance between their experiences and their
Religious buffer effect This article identifies religious practices and gatherings, such as prayer, music and art, as coping strategies for Rohingya refugees residing in Bangladesh. They can produce a buffer effect to the exposure of violence. Religious identity In Myanmar, the Rohingya faced restrictions that prohibited them from maintaining their cultural and religious identity.
