Browsing by Person "Betancourt, Theresa S"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings: research priorities for 2021-30.
(2023-04-25) Tol, Wietse A; Le, PhuongThao D; Harrison, Sarah L; Galappatti, Ananda; Annan, Jeannie; Baingana, Florence K; Betancourt, Theresa S; Bizouerne, Cecile; Eaton, Julian; Engels, Michelle; Hijazi, Zeinab; Horn, Rebecca; Jordans, Mark J D; Kohrt, Brandon A; Koyiet, Phiona; Panter-Brick, Catherine; Pluess, Michael; Rahman, Atif; Silove, Derrick; Tomlinson, Mark; Uribe-Restrepo, José Miguel; Ventevogel, Peter; Weissbecker, Inka; Ager, Alastair; van Ommeren, Mark
We describe an effort to develop a consensus-based research agenda for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions in humanitarian settings for 2021-30. By engaging a broad group of stakeholders, we generated research questions through a qualitative study (in Indonesia, Lebanon, and Uganda; n=101), consultations led by humanitarian agencies (n=259), and an expert panel (n=227; 51% female participants and 49% male participants; 84% of participants based in low-income and middle-income countries). The expert panel selected and rated a final list of 20 research questions. After rating, the MHPSS research agenda favoured applied research questions (eg, regarding workforce strengthening and monitoring and evaluation practices). Compared with research priorities for the previous decade, there is a shift towards systems-oriented implementation research (eg, multisectoral integration and ensuring sustainability) rather than efficacy research. Answering these research questions selected and rated by the expert panel will require improved partnerships between researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and communities affected by humanitarian crises, and improved equity in funding for MHPSS research in low-income and middle-income countries. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2023 World Health Organization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an Open Access article published under the CC BY 3.0 IGO license which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In any use of this article, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organisation, products, or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. This notice should be preserved along with the article's original URL.]
Navigating the tension between fatherhood ideals and realities of a post-conflict setting: A phenomenological study of former child soldiers in Sierra Leone
(Elsevier, 2023-01-27) Klein, Elizabeth K; Bond, Laura; McLean, Kristen E; Feika, Mahmoud; Bah, Abdulai Jawo; Betancourt, Theresa S
The concept of “fatherhood” in many African countries has traditionally been understood in terms of instrumental support to one's family, most notably, financial provision. However, in Sierra Leone and elsewhere, this narrow understanding of fatherhood is changing as a result of shifting demographic trends and in response to crises such as civil war and the recent Ebola outbreak in west Africa. Little is understood about how males formerly associated with armed forces and armed groups during childhood (Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups/CAAFAG) are navigating fatherhood as young adults. This study uses a phenomenological approach to understand 1) the meaning and importance of fatherhood for CAAFAG and war-affected fathers, 2) what fatherhood looks like normatively and ideally, with attention to norms about nurturing care and violence, and 3) how ideals of fatherhood may or may not be in tension with socioeconomic circumstances. We find that CAAFAG and war-affected fathers are committed to providing emotional support, encouragement, and a loving upbringing in addition to striving to provide financially for their families. Fathers experienced the greatest tension between their ideals of fatherhood and their structural circumstances; in other words, they felt inhibited in becoming the types of fathers they hoped to be due to the realities of living in a post-conflict, resource-constrained environment.