Capacity Strengthening: Development and Evaluation of the Training Course “Research Methods for Mental Health in War and Conflict”

Abstract

To address the gap in locally driven mental health capacity strengthening initiatives in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), researchers from Birzeit University (BZU) and King's College London (KCL) developed a unique short course focusing on the intersection between methods, mental health, and conflict. The course was delivered in the West Bank at BZU, aiming to strengthen mental health research capacity among local researchers, health professionals and administrators. Twenty-eight participants from the West Bank and East Jerusalem completed the course. Participants accepted on the course from the Gaza Strip did not receive permission by the Israeli authorities to travel to the West Bank and were thus unable to attend. A pre-training assessment was completed before the start of the course and identified a gap in participants’ key qualitative and quantitative research skills. The post-evaluation showed that all participants agreed that their qualitative research skills improved, and the majority agreed that their quantitative research skills improved. Several participants considered the quantitative part too intensive, requiring more training time. The majority of participants were highly satisfied with the course. Our initiative offers a model for strengthening the local research capacity required to tackle the burden of mental illness in conflict-affected areas. This annual course can be scaled up to other conflict settings.