Mental health and psychosocial support for families of missing persons in Sri Lanka: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has developed its 'Accompaniment model' to address the multi-faceted needs of relatives of people who go missing during armed conflict. In Sri Lanka an Accompaniment Programme was launched in 2015 for the relatives of the more than 16,000 missing persons who remain unaccounted for.

Method: One thousand seven hundred eighty-three relatives who took part in the mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) component of the ICRC's Accompaniment Programme in Sri Lanka between April 2016 and August 2017 were offered eight peer-support group sessions, individual home visits, referrals to local services, and commemoration events to pay tribute to their missing relatives.

Effect of counseling by paraprofessionals on depression, anxiety, somatization, and functioning in Indonesian torture survivors.

The Indonesian population has faced political violence, victimization, and torture throughout the last 70 years. Due to the scarcity of mental health professionals in many low and middle-income countries, counseling programs are increasingly utilizing paraprofessionals to provide support to the affected population as a strategy of task shifting. In this article, we would like to examine the effectiveness of counseling services provided by such trained paraprofessionals.

Evaluation of a brief training on mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies: a pre- and post-assessment in Nepal.

Introduction: A principal strategy for the integration of mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings is the training of front-line workers in international consensus-based guidelines.

Aim: This paper presents a pilot study evaluating changes in knowledge and understanding as a result of a brief training course in Nepal.

Method: Evaluation questionnaires were distributed to participants in two-day courses (n = 109) before, directly after, and at two months following completion.

A controlled trial of problem-solving counseling for war-affected adults in Aceh, Indonesia.

Purpose: War and conflict have consequences on the mental health of individuals and entire communities and the communities in Aceh, Indonesia, having experienced more than 30 years of armed conflict, are no exception. This study presents results from an evaluation of a non-specific mental health group counseling program among adults affected by conflict. Interventions such as these need to be evaluated to further the limited empirical evidence base for efficacious community-based treatments for improving the mental health and psychosocial problems in humanitarian settings.

Assessment of the psychosocial and mental health needs, dysfunction and coping mechanisms of violence affected populations in Bireuen Aceh. A qualitative study.

Qualitative research is important due to the shortage of literature in understanding cultural influences on psychosocial and mental health syndromes and their presentation, especially in developing countries. This qualitative study aims to investigate the psychosocial and mental health needs of populations in Aceh, Indonesia affected by over 30 years of conflict, their dysfunction, and their positive coping mechanisms. Results from this qualitative assessment indicate the presence of depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms.