For over 25 years child friendly spaces (CFS) have been at the forefront of humanitarian response... more For over 25 years child friendly spaces (CFS) have been at the forefront of humanitarian response. Initially there was a weak evidencebase informing this approach, but the last 10 years have seen a substantial increase in research and evaluation in this area. This accumulating evidence has informed the evolution of guidance and training on implementing effective CFS interventions, but there remains uncertainty about the key messages emerging from studies. This commentary summarises the key findings of CFS-related research over the last decade and identifies key implications for policy and practice. There is no basis for discarding the approach, but nor is there for using it as a ubiquitous, prolonged response to diverse needs. The key imperatives are to mainstream quality and contextualisation in the implementation of CFS as a mechanism for emergency response; to structure CFS within a phased intervention strategy incorporating education and community-based approaches; and to further develop resources to support quality, contextualised and phased provision for children.
Background: Evidence of 'what works' in humanitarian programming is especially important ... more Background: Evidence of 'what works' in humanitarian programming is especially important for addressing the disruptive consequences of conflict and forced displacement on adolescent mental health and development. However, the instability of crisis-affected settings renders rigorous methodologies and designs challenging to implement. Discussion: We evaluated a structured, 8-week psychosocial intervention (Advancing Adolescents), implemented by Mercy Corps as part of the No Lost Generation initiative deployed in the Middle East region. Our aims were to test the psychosocial, biological, and cognitive impacts of the intervention with Syrian refugee and host-community youth in Jordanian cities near active war zones and to develop a robust and contextually-relevant toolkit to support research goals and humanitarian practice. We faced challenges with respect to study design, methods, and dissemination: this included the logistics and acceptability of implementing a randomized cont...
Health Systems Resilience: A Systems Analysis is a ReBUILD affiliate research project applying a ... more Health Systems Resilience: A Systems Analysis is a ReBUILD affiliate research project applying a systems dynamics approach to understand, predict and identify mechanisms that influence the resilience of health systems in contexts of adversity. The project is implemented by the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, in collaboration with the School of Public Health, University of Western Cape. Resilience is now a dominant concept underpinning development and humanitarian support in contexts vulnerable to crisis, including conflict. This paper is an analysis of the circumstances in the health sector in Yobe state in northern Nigeria, related, and in response to the Boko Haram insurgency beginning around 2011 and continuing to the present. The paper makes a number of Key Points: Yobe State has faced severe disruption of its health service as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency. •Population migration and transport restrictions have severely impacted access to health pro...
More than one in every hundred of the world’s population has experienced being forcibly displaced... more More than one in every hundred of the world’s population has experienced being forcibly displaced. Religion constitutes a key dimension of the experience of the vast majority of forced migrants, but humanitarian response—on the basis of its concern for neutrality and impartiality—has an uneasy relation with it. The secular framing of humanitarianism has come under sustained critique, encouraging a deeper understanding of the dynamics of local faith communities. Theological reflection within faith traditions speaks to both notions of hospitality among hosts and of life in exile among migrants. Dialogue with such reflection offers insight not only into the role of religion in the support of displaced communities but also in the reimagining of global polity in a complex, plural, post-secular age.
Faith, Secularism, and Humanitarian Engagement, 2015
The secular framing of humanitarianism privatizes, marginalizes and instrumentalizes religion. Me... more The secular framing of humanitarianism privatizes, marginalizes and instrumentalizes religion. Mental health and psychosocial support is a key programming area with displaced communities. Faith-based organizations have been active in supporting such interventions, but there is little evidence of religious perspectives being meaningfully incorporated in programming. This is despite mounting acceptance of the relevance of religious resources, beliefs and practices for community recovery. Analysis of the work of local faith groups working with Syrian refugees in Jordan similarly indicates how a secular script obscures and constrains the contribution from religious sources. The language used in documents exploring key areas of humanitarian strategy—humanitarian reform and disaster risk reduction—also demonstrates the uncritical presumption of a secular perspective which obstructs engagement with faith.
The Role of Microcomputers in Clinical Psychology Issues in the Selection and Support of a Microc... more The Role of Microcomputers in Clinical Psychology Issues in the Selection and Support of a Microcomputer System Computer Assisted Assessment and Psychological Problems Microcomputers and Psychological Treatment Microcomputers in Psychometric and Neuropsychological Assessment Microcomputer-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Clinical Applications of Microcomputers with Children Microcomputer Applications for People with Learning Difficulties Monitoring and Evaluating Clinical Service Delivery: Issues and Effectiveness of Computer Database Management Expert Systems and the Clinical Psychologist Psychological Aspects of the New Technological Age.
This volume brings together senior authors from a range of disciplines to analyze key forces shap... more This volume brings together senior authors from a range of disciplines to analyze key forces shaping the contemporary experience of forced migration.
While scientific research supporting mitigation of further global temperature rise remains a majo... more While scientific research supporting mitigation of further global temperature rise remains a major priority, CoP26 and CoP27 saw increased recognition of the importance of research that informs adaptation to irreversible changes in climate and the increasing threats of extreme weather events. Such work is inevitably and appropriately contextual, but efforts to generalise principles that inform local strategies for adaptation and resilience are likely crucial. Systems approaches are particularly promising in this regard. This study adopted a system dynamics framing to consider linkages between climate change and population health across four low- and middle-income country settings with a view to identifying priority inter-sectoral adaptation measures in each. On the basis of a focused literature review in each setting, we developed preliminary causal loop diagrams (CLD) addressing dynamics operating in Mozambique, Lebanon, Costa Rica, and Georgia. Participatory workshops in each sett...
BackgroundStudies of psychological distress in Sierra Leone have typically used measures which we... more BackgroundStudies of psychological distress in Sierra Leone have typically used measures which were developed for use in other contexts, and which often have not been adapted or validated for use in Sierra Leone. This has resulted in a lack of reliable information about the patterns of psychological distress within the population, which is a barrier to the development of effective and appropriate mental health services. The aim of the study was to develop a locally-appropriate measure of psychological distress for Sierra Leone.MethodsThe new measure consists of two instruments: the Sierra Leone Psychological Distress Scale (SLPDS) and a gendered measure of ability to carry out daily tasks—a Function scale—as an indication of the severity of distress. A three-phase mixed methods exploratory sequential study was conducted. Phase 1 was item generation and testing, leading to the development of a set of potential items for both instruments. Phase 2 was a small pilot study (N = 202) lead...
For over 25 years child friendly spaces (CFS) have been at the forefront of humanitarian response... more For over 25 years child friendly spaces (CFS) have been at the forefront of humanitarian response. Initially there was a weak evidencebase informing this approach, but the last 10 years have seen a substantial increase in research and evaluation in this area. This accumulating evidence has informed the evolution of guidance and training on implementing effective CFS interventions, but there remains uncertainty about the key messages emerging from studies. This commentary summarises the key findings of CFS-related research over the last decade and identifies key implications for policy and practice. There is no basis for discarding the approach, but nor is there for using it as a ubiquitous, prolonged response to diverse needs. The key imperatives are to mainstream quality and contextualisation in the implementation of CFS as a mechanism for emergency response; to structure CFS within a phased intervention strategy incorporating education and community-based approaches; and to further develop resources to support quality, contextualised and phased provision for children.
Background: Evidence of 'what works' in humanitarian programming is especially important ... more Background: Evidence of 'what works' in humanitarian programming is especially important for addressing the disruptive consequences of conflict and forced displacement on adolescent mental health and development. However, the instability of crisis-affected settings renders rigorous methodologies and designs challenging to implement. Discussion: We evaluated a structured, 8-week psychosocial intervention (Advancing Adolescents), implemented by Mercy Corps as part of the No Lost Generation initiative deployed in the Middle East region. Our aims were to test the psychosocial, biological, and cognitive impacts of the intervention with Syrian refugee and host-community youth in Jordanian cities near active war zones and to develop a robust and contextually-relevant toolkit to support research goals and humanitarian practice. We faced challenges with respect to study design, methods, and dissemination: this included the logistics and acceptability of implementing a randomized cont...
Health Systems Resilience: A Systems Analysis is a ReBUILD affiliate research project applying a ... more Health Systems Resilience: A Systems Analysis is a ReBUILD affiliate research project applying a systems dynamics approach to understand, predict and identify mechanisms that influence the resilience of health systems in contexts of adversity. The project is implemented by the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, in collaboration with the School of Public Health, University of Western Cape. Resilience is now a dominant concept underpinning development and humanitarian support in contexts vulnerable to crisis, including conflict. This paper is an analysis of the circumstances in the health sector in Yobe state in northern Nigeria, related, and in response to the Boko Haram insurgency beginning around 2011 and continuing to the present. The paper makes a number of Key Points: Yobe State has faced severe disruption of its health service as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency. •Population migration and transport restrictions have severely impacted access to health pro...
More than one in every hundred of the world’s population has experienced being forcibly displaced... more More than one in every hundred of the world’s population has experienced being forcibly displaced. Religion constitutes a key dimension of the experience of the vast majority of forced migrants, but humanitarian response—on the basis of its concern for neutrality and impartiality—has an uneasy relation with it. The secular framing of humanitarianism has come under sustained critique, encouraging a deeper understanding of the dynamics of local faith communities. Theological reflection within faith traditions speaks to both notions of hospitality among hosts and of life in exile among migrants. Dialogue with such reflection offers insight not only into the role of religion in the support of displaced communities but also in the reimagining of global polity in a complex, plural, post-secular age.
Faith, Secularism, and Humanitarian Engagement, 2015
The secular framing of humanitarianism privatizes, marginalizes and instrumentalizes religion. Me... more The secular framing of humanitarianism privatizes, marginalizes and instrumentalizes religion. Mental health and psychosocial support is a key programming area with displaced communities. Faith-based organizations have been active in supporting such interventions, but there is little evidence of religious perspectives being meaningfully incorporated in programming. This is despite mounting acceptance of the relevance of religious resources, beliefs and practices for community recovery. Analysis of the work of local faith groups working with Syrian refugees in Jordan similarly indicates how a secular script obscures and constrains the contribution from religious sources. The language used in documents exploring key areas of humanitarian strategy—humanitarian reform and disaster risk reduction—also demonstrates the uncritical presumption of a secular perspective which obstructs engagement with faith.
The Role of Microcomputers in Clinical Psychology Issues in the Selection and Support of a Microc... more The Role of Microcomputers in Clinical Psychology Issues in the Selection and Support of a Microcomputer System Computer Assisted Assessment and Psychological Problems Microcomputers and Psychological Treatment Microcomputers in Psychometric and Neuropsychological Assessment Microcomputer-Based Cognitive Rehabilitation Clinical Applications of Microcomputers with Children Microcomputer Applications for People with Learning Difficulties Monitoring and Evaluating Clinical Service Delivery: Issues and Effectiveness of Computer Database Management Expert Systems and the Clinical Psychologist Psychological Aspects of the New Technological Age.
This volume brings together senior authors from a range of disciplines to analyze key forces shap... more This volume brings together senior authors from a range of disciplines to analyze key forces shaping the contemporary experience of forced migration.
While scientific research supporting mitigation of further global temperature rise remains a majo... more While scientific research supporting mitigation of further global temperature rise remains a major priority, CoP26 and CoP27 saw increased recognition of the importance of research that informs adaptation to irreversible changes in climate and the increasing threats of extreme weather events. Such work is inevitably and appropriately contextual, but efforts to generalise principles that inform local strategies for adaptation and resilience are likely crucial. Systems approaches are particularly promising in this regard. This study adopted a system dynamics framing to consider linkages between climate change and population health across four low- and middle-income country settings with a view to identifying priority inter-sectoral adaptation measures in each. On the basis of a focused literature review in each setting, we developed preliminary causal loop diagrams (CLD) addressing dynamics operating in Mozambique, Lebanon, Costa Rica, and Georgia. Participatory workshops in each sett...
BackgroundStudies of psychological distress in Sierra Leone have typically used measures which we... more BackgroundStudies of psychological distress in Sierra Leone have typically used measures which were developed for use in other contexts, and which often have not been adapted or validated for use in Sierra Leone. This has resulted in a lack of reliable information about the patterns of psychological distress within the population, which is a barrier to the development of effective and appropriate mental health services. The aim of the study was to develop a locally-appropriate measure of psychological distress for Sierra Leone.MethodsThe new measure consists of two instruments: the Sierra Leone Psychological Distress Scale (SLPDS) and a gendered measure of ability to carry out daily tasks—a Function scale—as an indication of the severity of distress. A three-phase mixed methods exploratory sequential study was conducted. Phase 1 was item generation and testing, leading to the development of a set of potential items for both instruments. Phase 2 was a small pilot study (N = 202) lead...
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Papers by Alastair Ager