Dr. Tania Bosqui (American University of Beirut) and Dr. Felicity Brown (War Child Holland)
Research and implementation team:
Anas Mayya, Estafania Hanna, Larine Fahed, Hasan Mansour, Maliki Ghossainy, Sally Farah, Zahraa Shaito (American University of Beirut); Theresa Betancourt (Boston College of Social Work); Michael Donnelly (Queen's University Belfast); Alan Carr (University College Dublin); Bassel Meksassi, Joseph Elias, Mark Jordans (War Child Holland); Diana Abo Nakkoul,
Ahmad Einein, (Terre des Hommes); Bryony Walsh, Sarah Chreif (Danish Refugee Council);
Hady Naal (Global Health Institute); Eve Puffer (Duke Global Health Institute);
Rabih El Chammay (National Mental Health Program); Roula Abi Saad (UNICEF)
Implementing partners/technical support:
UNICEF Lebanon, Terre des Hommes Italia, Danish Refugee Council, War Child Holland, Global Health Institute, National Mental Health Program, Community Advisory Boards (Tripoli and North Beqa’a)
Summary and aims
This study aimed to develop and test a family systemic intervention that can be delivered alongside existing Focused-Psychosocial Support program for at-risk adolescents in Lebanon. There is a small yet growing evidence base for psychosocial interventions in conflict and humanitarian emergencies, however adolescent mental health is often under-researched and drastically under-resourced. Families play a critical role in ensuring adolescent mental health and protection outcomes, yet there has been limited research evaluating family interventions in these settings.
Nurturing family environments are essential for healthy child development, and parenting and systemic family interventions show strong effectiveness. Through the development and evaluation of an adjunctive Family Systemic Intervention Module – named the Sawa Aqwa Family Program - we aim to enhance current humanitarian programming by addressing the child's ecology, while also addressing a significant weakness of the current evidence base for at-risk adolescents and their families in conflict-affected contexts. The program aims to be systemic, culturally and contextually relevant, and sustainable.
Publications, conference presentations and other links and information
about the program can be found below and are updated routinely. For more
information about the study or Sawa Aqwa Family Program please contact Dr Tania Bosqui.
This work is supported by the AHRC-FDCO Collaborative Humanitarian Protection Research program (grant number 103916)
More information:
Publications and conference presentations: