Methodologies and Tools for Measuring the Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing of Children in Humanitarian Contexts

Addressing children’s MHPSS needs is an established priority in humanitarian emergencies.

Exposure to conflict and natural disasters poses significant risks to the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of affected populations. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable given that humanitarian emergencies often disrupt the very social institutions, community resources, economic livelihoods, and infrastructural supports that children depend on for normal growth and development. Although children can be remarkably resilient and adaptive to change in their environments, such disruption of the social fabric commonly warrants the mobilization of interventions addressing mental health and psychosocial support to further facilitate recovery and growth.