Paper details

Paper authors	Fiona McEwen
In panel on	What have we learned about adapting research methodologies for use in humanitarian crisis contexts?
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Conducting mental health research in humanitarian settings throws up a number of specific challenges. It is necessary to measure the presence of mental disorders and severe mental distress to assess the need for mental health services. However, the ways in which mental health problems manifest and how well we can measure them are influenced by numerous factors, including educational level and literacy, culture, language, and the context in which people are living. Unfortunately, measures that have been validated in the culture and context in which they to be used are often lacking, and so adapting measures and methods is integral to research in crisis contexts.

Drawing on experience of conducting research with Syrian refugees in Lebanon, we will set out various challenges we have encountered and ways in which we have adapted our research methods. These include (i) understanding how culture impacts on measurement and adapting measures to account for this; (ii) using visual aids to help people with low literacy levels engage with assessments; and (iii) adapting language to use local dialect and appropriate examples, in a standardised way, to support answering. The importance of both engaging with, and validating measures in, the target population will be emphasised.

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