TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - "I go up to the edge of the valley, and I talk to God": using mixed methods to understand the relationship between gender-based violence and mental health among Lebanese and Syrian refugee women engaged in psychosocial programming
JO  - International journal of environmental research and public health
A1  - Barada, Rassil
A1  - Potts, Alina
A1  - Bourassa, Angela
A1  - Contreras-Urbina, Manuel
A1  - Nasr, Krystel
SP  - e4500
EP  - e4500
VL  - 18
IS  - 9
N2  - Lebanon's intersecting economic and political crises exacerbate complex public health issues among both host and refugee populations. This mixed-methods study by a Lebanese service provider, in partnership with an international research institute, seeks to better understand how experiences of gender-based violence (GBV) and mental health intersect in the lives of Syrian and Lebanese women, and how to better meet these needs. It employs a randomized cross-sectional survey of 969 Abaad service users and focus groups with community members and service providers. There were significant associations between GBV and ill mental health; notably, respondents reporting transactional sex had 4 times the likelihood of severe distress (aOR 4.2; 95% CI 1.2-14.8; p ≤ 0.05). Focus groups emphasized less-visible forms of violence, such as emotional violence, and the importance of environmental factors in one's ability to cope, noting "it always came back to the economy". Recommendations include providing a more holistic and coordinated approach between GBV, mental health, livelihood, and basic assistance sectors; and sensitive, accessible, and higher-quality mental health services informed by GBV response actors' experience putting in place survivor-centered programming and made available to both host and refugee community members.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1661-7827
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094500
ID  - ref1
ER  -