Browsing by Person "Rutledge, Kathleen K."

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Barriers to Localisation: Making the Invisible Visible [blog post]
(2018-12-10) Rutledge, Kathleen K.
Faith and MHPSS among displaced Muslim women
(University of Oxford, 2021-03) Rutledge, Kathleen K.; Pertek, Sandra; Abo-Hilal, Mohammad; Fitzgibbon, Atallah
With religious identity, practices and beliefs having a profound impact on mental health, faith sensitivity in aid and MHPSS is essential.
“I Wish I Had Been Asked”: Removing Gender Barriers to Coping Supports Among Displaced Women of Faith [blog post]
(Georgetown University, 2023-09-11) Rutledge, Kathleen K.
JLI Ending Violence Against Children Scoping Study – Literature Review
(Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, 2019) Rutledge, Kathleen K.; Eyber, Carola
This literature review is one part of three of the JLI Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) Hub scoping study. It presents an overview of published and grey literature in regard to the unique contributions of faith actors to eliminating violence against children as well as how faith actors have been involved in perpetuation thereof. This scoping study offers an initial contribution to exploring existing evidence in two specific areas: Firstly, the unique contributions of faith communities both in relation to ending, as well as contributing to, violence against children, to understand their involvement in this sphere. Secondly, the role of faith actors in influencing wider child protection systems to prevent and respond to EVAC to understand the potential for their engagement.
Rethinking pathways to well-being: the function of faith practice in distress alleviation among displaced Muslim women affected by war
(Frontiers Media, 2025-07-21) Rutledge, Kathleen K.
Background: For many populations globally, coping approaches employed during times of extreme adversity are rooted in religious convictions. Positive religious coping following potentially traumatic events and in times of crisis is widely evidenced as resilience promoting. Despite international mandates for aid and mental health responses to enable such coping, there is limited guidance for work with distinct faith groups and limited quantitative evidence overall. This mixed methods study examined the role of faith in mental health among displaced Muslim women affected by conflict, highlighting implications for responders. Methods: A total of 160 questionnaires, 50 interviews, and four focus groups were conducted among 160 Sunni Muslim women in an Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDP) camp with subjects who had been affected by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) conflict. A total of 19 faith leaders, MHPSS providers, and humanitarian workers were interviewed as key informants. Qualitative responses were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, while statistical tests examined variable correlations between the mean scores of response groups. Results: Religious meanings were attributed to every aspect of daily life, in addition to shaping fundamental understandings of wellbeing, the ultimate goals of life, and the coping strategies employed. Religiosity was high. Prayer, reciting, or reading the Qur’an, and fasting were widely reported as a means of comfort, stress relief, divine protection, and daily provision. The function of faith practices in distress alleviation was mediated by the individual’s beliefs regarding the afterlife and by their perception of God’s “care” for their life and situation. Self-appraised “inadequate” faith practice—seen as incompatible with the fundamental goal of life for many in the study, entering Paradise after death—and feeling that God does not “care”, were variables associated with higher distress and poor mental health. Gender-blind approaches in the camp and exclusion of faith needs from assessments and response actions compounded distress by creating access barriers. Ensuring access to gender- and faith-sensitive coping resources (when requested by the affected individuals) is likely to boost mental health outcomes, particularly when such supports align with recovery and/or strengthening of the individual’s sense of connectedness to a benevolent, responsive God.
Strengthening faith-sensitive mental health and psychosocial support for children on the move: Fostering Resilience in Children on the Move Series - Policy Brief
(Queen Margaret University, 2023) Rutledge, Kathleen K.
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. In a series of consultations, this body identified three barriers hindering access of children on the move to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) that is responsive to their faith and culture and urged eight steps to be taken by donors, governments and implementing agencies in order to uphold the rights of displaced children to such care. Detailed analysis follows in this Brief.
Suffering, faith & well-being among Muslim women affected by the ISIS conflict in Iraq: The role of faith in coping and recovery and what this means for humanitarian response
(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2022) Rutledge, Kathleen K.
For many populations globally, the processing of potentially traumatic events and the pathway to recovery is linked to religious convictions. Positive religious coping following disasters is widely evidenced as resilience promoting and international mandates call for aid that enables such coping, however there is limited guidance for distinct faith groups. This mixed methods study, conducted among 160 Sunni Muslim women in an Iraqi IDP camp, sought to deepen the evidence regarding the role of faith in coping among displaced Muslim women and to develop guidance for work with similar populations. Questionnaires, interviews and focus groups were conducted in the Mosul region with subjects affected by the conflict related to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Faith leaders and humanitarian workers were interviewed as key informants. There was a high level of religiosity among the women, with self-appraised faith levels remaining largely stable preand post-ISIS. Perceptions of faith decline were strongly associated with anxiety and grief. Suffering was primarily seen as a test of patience, according to God’s will, with endurance facilitating attainment of Paradise after death. This appraisal was linked to comfort and strengthened resolve. Appraisals of suffering as punishment were primarily associated with higher distress, while beliefs regarding God’s care significantly influenced mental health. Prayer, Qur’an reading and fasting were widely reported as means of comfort, stress relief and divine protection. Coping capacity was adversely impacted however by poor responsiveness of some aid and faith actors to gendered faith needs. The study recommends compliance with existing faith-sensitive mandates, including assessing if individuals would like faith supports to be a part of the response, removing gender-related barriers to faith supports, improving context-specific religious literacy among responders, implementing multi-layered MHPSS interventions targeting daily stressors, and engaging ‘hidden’ women of faith who are informal leaders to support other women.