Community health workers for mental health care in refugee camps: a scoping review.

IF 4.1 2区医学 Q1 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

International Journal for Equity in Health Pub Date : 2025-08-07 DOI:10.1186/s12939-025-02580-6

Rasha Istaiteyeh, Wael K Al-Delaimy

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: In recent years, countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region have seen a rise in immigration, driven by global conflicts, leading to increased prevalence of physical and mental health issues among refugees. This places significant demands on both refugees and healthcare professionals encountering them in various situations. The analysis considers the social and psychological implications of relying on specialized trainers versus the refugees themselves to determine the most effective and sustainable method for providing mental health support in challenging refugee camp environments.

Methods: This article uses a scoping review methodology to compare the impact of two approaches for addressing mental health needs in refugee camps. Drawing upon previous studies, the research investigates the effectiveness and sustainability of recruiting external experts versus empowering refugees as mental health trainers within their communities.

Results: The analysis suggests that in refugee camps, empowering refugees as mental health trainers within their communities yields more sustainable and culturally appropriate mental health support compared to recruiting external experts. This approach fosters community resilience and addresses the unique social and psychological needs of refugees in challenging camp environments.

Conclusion: Ultimately, this analysis demonstrates the context-specific nature of health interventions in refugee camps. Empowering refugees as mental health trainers emerges as a promising approach to addressing mental health needs sustainably and effectively within these environments.

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难民营精神卫生保健的社区卫生工作者：范围审查。

目标：近年来，在全球冲突的推动下，中东和北非地区各国的移民人数有所增加，导致难民中身心健康问题更加普遍。这对难民和在各种情况下遇到他们的保健专业人员提出了重大要求。该分析考虑了依赖专门培训人员与难民本身的社会和心理影响，以确定在具有挑战性的难民营环境中提供心理健康支助的最有效和可持续的方法。方法：本文使用范围审查方法来比较两种解决难民营心理健康需求的方法的影响。根据以往的研究，该研究调查了招募外部专家与授权难民在其社区内担任心理健康培训师的有效性和可持续性。结果：分析表明，在难民营中，与招募外部专家相比，授权难民在其社区内担任心理健康培训师可获得更可持续和文化上适当的心理健康支持。这种方法促进了社区的复原力，并解决了难民在充满挑战的难民营环境中独特的社会和心理需求。结论：最终，这一分析表明了难民营卫生干预措施的具体情况。赋予难民作为心理健康培训师的权力是在这些环境中可持续和有效地解决心理健康需求的一种有希望的方法。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal for Equity in Health Medicine-Health Policy

CiteScore

7.80

自引率

4.20%

发文量

162

审稿时长

28 weeks

期刊介绍： International Journal for Equity in Health is an Open Access, peer-reviewed, online journal presenting evidence relevant to the search for, and attainment of, equity in health across and within countries. International Journal for Equity in Health aims to improve the understanding of issues that influence the health of populations. This includes the discussion of political, policy-related, economic, social and health services-related influences, particularly with regard to systematic differences in distributions of one or more aspects of health in population groups defined demographically, geographically, or socially.