Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) - Knowledge Gap

Knowledge gap in MHPSS before, during, and after emergencies and disasters identified from existing literatures.

 

1. Long-term health effects of disasters [1]

  • Insufficient research on enduring mental health and psychosocial impacts. 

  • Understanding the long-term resilience and coping mechanisms of affected communities lacking. 

  • Need for long-term support strategies and mental health interventions.

 

2. Psychosocial management [2] 

  • Research gaps in classification of mental health and psychosocial risks. 

  • Lack of standardized methods for screening, diagnosis, and treatment. 

  • Identifying factors that contribute to risk and resilience requires more investigation. 

 

3. Absence of Consensus Regarding Terminology [3]

  • Lack of standardized terminology impedes effective communication and collaboration. 

  • Consensus needed on defining psychosocial terms and concepts for clarity. 

  • Standardized terminology enhances cross-study comparisons and knowledge sharing. 

 

4. High-risk groups [4] 

  • Development of Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) activities including support and self-help groups for marginalised populations, youth, disabled contexts people, context where poverty is high, or countries affected by humanitarian crises.

  • Mental health care service delivery to individuals with pre-existing severe mental disorders after disasters.

  • Early identification of groups prone to mental health problems during public health emergencies and improving access to mental health services for these groups will ensure equitable and efficient use of services.

  • Mental health care service delivery to individuals with severe mental disorders after disasters.

 

Reference

[1] Chan EYY, Murray V. What are the health research needs for the Sendai Framework. Lancet. 2017;390:e35–e36. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31670-7. 

[2] Kayano R, Chan EY, Murray V, Abrahams J, Barber SL. WHO Thematic Platform for Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management Research Network (TPRN): Report of the Kobe Expert Meeting. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019; 16(7):E1232. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16071232. 

[3] Lo STT, Chan EYY, Chan GKW, Murray V, Abrahams J, Ardalan A, Kayano R, Yau JCW. Health Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health-EDRM): Developing the Research Field within the Sendai Framework Paradigm. Int. J. Disaster Risk Sci. 2017;8:145–149. doi: 10.1007/s13753-017-0122-0. 

[4] Newnham EA, Ho JY, Chan EYY. (2022). Chapter 2.5: Identifying and engaging high-risk groups in disaster research. In: WHO guidance on research methods for health emergency and disaster risk management, revised 2022. World Health Organization. pp. 37-134. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/363502 (accessed 15 June 2023).

Research Themes