Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Interventions for Children Affected by Armed Conflict in low-and middle-income Countries: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: . Armed conflicts continue to threaten a vast number of children across the world, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). Evidence-based interventions are vital to adequately address the mental health needs in these groups. OBJECTIVE: . This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive update of the most current developments in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions for children affected by armed conflict in LMICs, since 2016. Such an update may be useful in determining where the current focus of interventions lies and whether there are changes in types of interventions that are commonly implemented. METHODS: . The main medical, psychological and social sciences databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline) were searched to identify interventions aimed at improving or treating mental health problems in conflict-affected children in LMICs. For the period 2016–2022, a total of 1243 records were identified. Twenty-three articles met the inclusion criteria. A bio-ecological lens was used to organize the interventions and the presentation of findings. RESULTS: . Seventeen forms of MHPSS interventions with a wide range of treatment modalities were identified in this review. The reviewed articles focused mainly on family-based interventions. Very few studies empirically evaluated community-level interventions. CONCLUSION: . Current focus of interventions is family-based; the addition of caregiver wellbeing and parenting skills components had the potential to enhance the effects of interventions designed to improve children’s mental health. Future trials for MHPSS interventions need to give more attention to community-level interventions. Community-level supports such as person-to-person support, solidarity groups, and dialogue groups stand to reach large numbers of children and families.