Humanitarian space and well-being: effectiveness of training on a psychosocial intervention for host community-refugee interaction

Abstract

Social and fieldworkers face enormous challenges in assisting millions of Syrian refugees in Lebanon since the Syrian war in 2011. We sought to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an adapted version of the SMART-3RP (Stress Management Relaxation Response Resilience Training) training to address the emotional and physical burden on the humanitarian field. Data were collected using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), blood pressure, pulse and a brief qualitative survey at months 0, 3, 6 and 9. We compared mean SCL-90 scores and physiological measures from these time points and subjected qualitative data to a thematic analysis. Mean values of all measures decreased from months 0 to 9, with significance in SCL-90 changes increasing at each visit. Qualitative themes included decreased stress, increased positivity and problem-solving skills, interpersonal and personal benefits of mindfulness practice and the need to continue and expand the programme. Qualitative and quantitative analyses showed a decrease in stress perception and blood pressure, demonstrating the physiological benefits of mind body approaches. We highlight the importance of self-care for humanitarian workers as the basis for the mission’s success. We invite additional research to confirm these findings and their implications for the humanitarian field.

Keywords:

• Lebanon
• Syria
• refugees
• humanitarian
• wellbeing

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Ministry of Social Affairs Senior Staff especially the Syrian Desk Project and all social and fieldworkers who participated in the program; without them this work could not see the light. We would also like to thank Senior Leadership of the Disaster Response at the Center of Global Health at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for their review and support of the work at its preliminary stages, and Dr. Lama Bazzi for her relentless enthusiasm and continuous efforts as a committed reviewer on Syrian refugee projects.