Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings: research priorities for 2021–30 (MHPSS-SET 2)
This report describes the rigorous methodology undertaken to identify research questions prioritised by actors across the community.
Abstract
Elrha’s Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) programme aims to improve humanitarian response by increasing evidence on the effectiveness of public health interventions and promoting its uptake in policy guidance and practice.
More than a fifth of the studies funded through the R2HC since 2013 have focused on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) – more than 20 studies in total. In 2019, to support a research agenda for MHPSS humanitarian practitioners and researchers, R2HC funded an update of the first MHPSS research prioritisation, MHSET-1, covering a new 10 year period from 2021 to 2030.
This report describes the rigorous methodology undertaken to identify research questions prioritised by actors across the wide MHPSS community. To ensure priorities were identified from as wide a group of stakeholders as possible, MHPSS experts in operational humanitarian organisations at local and global levels contributed questions, as well as academics and policy makers. Using a consensus process facilitated by the Child Health and Nutrition Research Initiative (CHNRI) methodology, the results were synthesised into 6 broad thematic areas, with a final 20 priority questions and associated sub-questions identified. The synthesised results have been collated in this data visualisation tool.
The identified priorities aim to guide the focus of MHPSS research over the next ten years, ensuring that future research questions are of the greatest relevance and usefulness for practitioners supporting people whose mental health has been affected by crises
citation
PhuongThao Le and Wietse Tol. ‘Mental health and psychosocial support in humanitarian settings: research priorities for 2021–30 (MHPSS-SET 2)’ Elrha, 2022