Mental health impacts of humanitarian crisis on HCWs in Syria amidst COVID-19

Rahmat, Zainab Syyeda; Aamar, Humna; Siddiqui, Javeria Arif; Mirha, Hania-Tul; Hassan, Marium; Essar, Mohammad Yasir; Bchara, John; Hashim, Hashim Talib

doi:10.1080/13623699.2022.2040091

Cited by 4 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Although the warfare in Syria has forced the entire population to experience painful processes of displacement, symptoms of mental disorders and feelings of overwhelming distress, 22 the impact of violence on healthcare workers has been gruesome. Attacks on the healthcare system have resulted in the death of more than 900 HCWs and damage to 600 healthcare facilities since 2011 7 . In 2018 alone, 194 attacks on healthcare facilities and ambulances have been verified 23…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ongoing Syrian conflict has resulted in the displacement of millions of Syrians, while making the lives of those still in the country challenging 41 . The dire conditions surrounding the healthcare system contribute to the rapid decline of the mental health of HCWs, compelling up to 70% HCWs to leave the country 7 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…41 The dire conditions surrounding the healthcare system contribute to the rapid decline of the mental health of HCWs, compelling up to 70% HCWs to leave the country. 7…”

Section: Syriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Attacks on the healthcare system have resulted in the death of more than 900 HCWs and damage to 600 healthcare facilities since 2011. 7 In 2018 alone, 194 attacks on healthcare facilities and ambulances have been verified. 23 Amidst the political turmoil and the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, HCWs in Syria face the brunt of repeated violence, lack of resources and a fragile healthcare system.…”

Section: Syriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A systematic review including more than 16,000 HCWs from 15 studies reported exacerbation of violence towards HCWs during COVID‐19, and mental health problems to be substantially higher in HCWs who faced Workplace Violence than those who did not 5 . The HCWs face greater challenges in conflict‐based settings, such as Syria, 7 Palestine, 8 Yemen, 9 Afghanistan, 10 and Lebanon 11 . Political instability, economic burden, limited resources, lack of safety and a fragile healthcare system, predispose a complex ordeal difficult for HCWs to navigate through 10 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of violence on healthcare workers' mental health in conflict based settings amidst COVID‐19 pandemic, and potential interventions: A narrative review

Rija

Islam

Bilal

et al. 2022

Health Science Reports

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Healthcare workers (HCWs) have faced an increased amount of mental health struggles amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. However, those in conflict-based settings with fragile healthcare systems meet additional challenges. This study reviews violence, conflict and mental health among HCWs in five countries: Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Our study reports that HCWs are targeted by violence, bombings, mistreatment and different forms of abuse, including verbal and physical. With the additional burdens of the pandemic including prolonged working hours, limited resources and insufficient humanitarian aid, the healthcare workers fall victim to increased levels of burnout and mental illnesses. The situation leads to dire consequences on their personal lives and professional development, compelling them to quit their job or country all together. Although healthcare workers remain resilient in these conflict-based settings, immediate interventions are required to prevent violence against them and cater to their rapidly declining mental health.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…41 The dire conditions surrounding the healthcare system contribute to the rapid decline of the mental health of HCWs, compelling up to 70% HCWs to leave the country. 7…”

Section: Syriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Syriamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of violence on healthcare workers' mental health in conflict based settings amidst COVID‐19 pandemic, and potential interventions: A narrative review

Rija

Islam

Bilal

et al. 2022

Health Science Reports

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Maternal mortality and its prominence in the Syrian Arab Republic: Challenges, efforts, and recommendations

Butt

Tharwani²,

Muzzamil³

et al. 2022

Annals of Medicine &Amp; Surgery

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Testing the effectiveness and acceptability of online supportive supervision for mental health practitioners in humanitarian settings: a study protocol for the caring for carers project

Wells,

Acarturk,

Mozumder

et al. 2023

BMC Psychiatry

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Background Local humanitarian workers in low and middle-income countries must often contend with potentially morally injurious situations, often with limited resources. This creates barriers to providing sustainable mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to displaced individuals. Clinical supervision is an often neglected part of ensuring high-quality, sustainable care. The Caring for Carers (C4C) project aims to test the effectiveness and acceptability of online group-based supportive supervision on the well-being of MHPSS practitioners, as well as service-user-reported service satisfaction and quality when working with displaced communities in Türkiye, Syria, and Bangladesh. This protocol paper describes the aim, design, and methodology of the C4C project. Method A quasi-experimental, mixed-method, community-based participatory research study will be conducted to test the effectiveness of online group-based supportive clinical supervision provided to 50 Syrian and 50 Bangladeshi MHPSS practitioners working with Syrian and Rohingya displaced communities. Monthly data will be collected from the practitioners and their beneficiaries during the active control (six months) and supervision period (16 months over two terms). Outcomes are psychological distress (Kessler-6), burnout (the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory), compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress (Professional Quality of Life Scale), perceived injustice, clinical self-efficacy (Counseling Activity Self-Efficacy Scale), service satisfaction, and quality (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire and an 18-item measure developed in this project). A realist evaluation framework will be used to elucidate the contextual factors, mechanisms, and outcomes of the supervision intervention. Discussion There is a scarcity of evidence on the role of clinical supervision in improving the well-being of MHPSS practitioners and the quality of service they provide to displaced people. By combining qualitative and quantitative data collection, the C4C project will address the long-standing question of the effectiveness and acceptability of clinical supervision in humanitarian settings.

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Mental health impacts of humanitarian crisis on HCWs in Syria amidst COVID-19

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

The impact of violence on healthcare workers' mental health in conflict based settings amidst COVID‐19 pandemic, and potential interventions: A narrative review

The impact of violence on healthcare workers' mental health in conflict based settings amidst COVID‐19 pandemic, and potential interventions: A narrative review

Maternal mortality and its prominence in the Syrian Arab Republic: Challenges, efforts, and recommendations

Testing the effectiveness and acceptability of online supportive supervision for mental health practitioners in humanitarian settings: a study protocol for the caring for carers project

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