About this Research Topic
Nearly 100 million individuals – equivalent to 1% of the global population – are estimated to have experienced forced displacement. Exposure to armed conflict, violence, human rights violations, and
persecution have significant and well-established implications for the mental health and well-being of these populations. However, there remain significant access barriers and gaps to mental health treatment
for these populations, including stigma, distrust, and uncertainty regarding the implications of seeking mental healthcare. The use of faith, including both spiritual or religious beliefs, as a stabilizing force for interpreting stressful or distressing events has been widely acknowledged in the medical literature, but remains largely unexplored among those impacted by forced displacement. As high-income, secular countries remain top destinations for forcibly displaced populations studies exploring culturally-specific mental health needs of these populations are critical to improving the quality of mental health services and in turn, facilitating social integration for these populations.
The aim of this research topic is to gather a body of research to map the current state of evidence relating to the role of faith in the mental health and integration of forcibly displaced populations. Of interest were articles addressing the following questions:
• What is the role of faith, including faith practices, in the mental health and integration of forcibly displaced populations?
• How do these differ across various groups who have been forcibly displaced?
• How do experiences of faith and cultural identity change across the migration trajectory?
• How can mental health providers incorporate effective faith-based strategies in everyday care?
• How can health systems be sensitive to these needs?
Sub-topics include, but are not limited to:
• The role of faith in supporting the mental health and integration of displaced populations
• The impacts of discrimination and stereotyping based on faith or cultural background on the mental health and well-being of displaced populations
• Examples of mental health interventions which respect and acknowledge various faith backgrounds and incorporate this into treatment
• The role of local faith communities and faith leaders in mobilizing resources and support for displaced populations
• Innovative frameworks and methods to explore these issues including quantitative scales or surveys which measure and monitor faith practices alongside mental health symptoms
• Global engagement on this topic since UNHCR Commissioner’s Dialogue on Faith and Protection (2012), World Humanitarian Summit (2016) and development of Inter-Agency Guidance on Faith-Sensitive MHPSS (2018)
persecution have significant and well-established implications for the mental health and well-being of these populations. However, there remain significant access barriers and gaps to mental health treatment
for these populations, including stigma, distrust, and uncertainty regarding the implications of seeking mental healthcare. The use of faith, including both spiritual or religious beliefs, as a stabilizing force for interpreting stressful or distressing events has been widely acknowledged in the medical literature, but remains largely unexplored among those impacted by forced displacement. As high-income, secular countries remain top destinations for forcibly displaced populations studies exploring culturally-specific mental health needs of these populations are critical to improving the quality of mental health services and in turn, facilitating social integration for these populations.
The aim of this research topic is to gather a body of research to map the current state of evidence relating to the role of faith in the mental health and integration of forcibly displaced populations. Of interest were articles addressing the following questions:
• What is the role of faith, including faith practices, in the mental health and integration of forcibly displaced populations?
• How do these differ across various groups who have been forcibly displaced?
• How do experiences of faith and cultural identity change across the migration trajectory?
• How can mental health providers incorporate effective faith-based strategies in everyday care?
• How can health systems be sensitive to these needs?
Sub-topics include, but are not limited to:
• The role of faith in supporting the mental health and integration of displaced populations
• The impacts of discrimination and stereotyping based on faith or cultural background on the mental health and well-being of displaced populations
• Examples of mental health interventions which respect and acknowledge various faith backgrounds and incorporate this into treatment
• The role of local faith communities and faith leaders in mobilizing resources and support for displaced populations
• Innovative frameworks and methods to explore these issues including quantitative scales or surveys which measure and monitor faith practices alongside mental health symptoms
• Global engagement on this topic since UNHCR Commissioner’s Dialogue on Faith and Protection (2012), World Humanitarian Summit (2016) and development of Inter-Agency Guidance on Faith-Sensitive MHPSS (2018)
Keywords: faith, mental health, migration, displacement, spirituality, religion
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
