Multilevel Factors Affecting the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Forcibly Displaced Populations

Dear Colleagues,

Humanitarian emergencies caused by conflict, climate, and other disasters are affecting the world at an unprecedented scale. As a result, the number of people who have been forced to flee their homes has reached a record high of 89.3 million [1]. Forced displacement has a complex, multifaceted, and highly diverse impact on the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing (MHPSW) of affected populations. There is a consensus that the high prevalence of mental health and psychosocial problems in humanitarian and emergency settings constitutes a serious public health issue.

At the same time, there is a lack of sufficient evidence on how to effectively support populations who have been forcibly displaced. This Special Issue aims to fill this gap by presenting the latest research on the multilevel factors that influence the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of forcibly displaced populations.

For this Special Issue, we invite original research articles using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods, systematic reviews, and commentaries from low-, middle-, and high-income settings. We welcome research on various aspects of the MHPSW of forcibly displaced populations. We are interested in submissions that explore the following topics, among others:

• The promotion of participatory research methods that involve forcibly displaced populations in the design and implementation of research.
• The social, cultural, and environmental determinants that act as risk, protective, and promotive factors of mental health and psychosocial wellbeing pre-, during, and post-migration.
• Understanding the barriers and facilitators to implementing mental health and psychosocial wellbeing activities for forcibly displaced peoples.
• Specific under-researched groups including the elderly, sexual minorities, or individuals with disabilities in humanitarian settings.
• The strengthening of health systems, community-based approaches, and other forms of support to deliver and sustain culturally sensitive forms of care.
• Research evaluating effective and scalable interventions for the prevention and/or treatment of mental disorders and psychosocial problems, including interventions that aim to promote mental health and wellbeing.
• The impact of climate change on mental health and psychosocial wellbeing.

Reference 

[1] UNCHR. 2021. Figures at a Glance. https://www.unhcr.org/uk/figures-at-a-glance.html. 

Dr. Catharina Van der Boor
Guest Editor

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• conflict
• migration
• mental health
• psychosocial wellbeing
• social determinants
• resilience
• trauma
• intervention
• prevention
• context