Abstract
Disasters can have an enormous impact on the health and well-being of those affected. Internationally, governments and service providers are often challenged to address complex psychosocial problems. Ideally, the potentially broad range of support activities include a coherent, high-quality mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programme. We present a theory-driven quantitative analysis of the quality of 40 MHPSS programmes, mostly implemented in European disaster settings. The objective is to measure quality domains recognized as relevant in the literature and to empirically test associations. During the EU project “Operationalizing Psychosocial Support in Crisis” (OPSIC) an evaluation survey was designed and developed for this purpose and completed by 40 MHPSS programme coordinators involved in different mass emergencies and disasters. We analysed the survey data in two steps. Firstly, we used the data to operationalize quality domains of a MHPSS programme, tested constructs and assessed their internal consistency reliability. A total of 26 out of 44 survey items clustered into three of the four domains identified within the theoretical framework: “planning and delivery system” (Cronbach’s alpha 0.82); “general evaluation criteria” (Cronbach’s alpha 0.82); and “essential psychosocial principles” (Cronbach’s alpha 0.75). “Measures and interventions applied”, theoretically a potential fourth domain, could not be confirmed to empirically cluster together. Secondly, several models with associations between domains and measures and interventions were tested and compared. The model with the best fit suggests that in MHPSS programmes with a higher planning and delivery systems score, a larger number of measures and interventions from evidence-informed guidelines are applied. In such programmes, coordinators are more positive about general evaluation criteria and the realization of essential psychosocial principles. Moreover, the analyses showed that some measures and interventions are more likely to be applied in programmes with more evolved planning and delivery systems, yet for most measures and interventions the likelihood of being applied is not linked to planning and delivery system status, nor to coordinator perceptions concerning psychosocial principles and evaluation criteria. Further research is necessary to validate and expand the findings and to learn more about success factors and obstacles for MHPSS programme implementation.
Highlights
Communities worldwide can be confronted with disasters and crises that might have an enormous impact on the health and well-being of those affected
The health effects of disasters have received a considerable amount of attention in the scientific literature [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10], which is helpful for public authorities and other service providers involved in the planning and delivery of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to affected populations
Disaster situations challenge governments and service providers to incorporate a potentially broad range of activities into a coherent MHPSS programme: “a community intervention that can differ in length, scope and organization”[11]
Summary
Communities worldwide can be confronted with disasters and crises that might have an enormous impact on the health and well-being of those affected. The health effects of disasters have received a considerable amount of attention in the scientific literature [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10], which is helpful for public authorities and other service providers involved in the planning and delivery of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to affected populations. A MHPSS programme seeks to prevent, detect, mitigate, and ameliorate the often complex psychosocial problems of exposed populations. Despite the available knowledge regarding disaster-related health problems, trajectories, and risk and protective factors, strong evidence on effective MHPSS approaches is rare [12,13,14]. In this article we present a theory-driven quantitative analysis of quality of 40 MHPSS programmes, mostly implemented in Europe. The objective is to measure several quality domains recognized as relevant in the literature and to empirically test associations between them, guided by the multidimensional theoretical framework presented
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
