Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
Transcult Psychiatry. 2023 Jun;60(3):508-520. doi: 10.1177/13634615221149349. Epub 2023 Feb 6.
Faith actors have become increasingly significant in the field of global mental health, through their inclusion in the delivery of psychosocial support in humanitarian settings. This inclusion remains empirically underexplored. We explore historical and contemporary activities of local faith actors in responding to mental disquiet in northern Uganda. Given pre-existing roles, we question what it means when humanitarians draw on faith actors to deliver mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in conflict-affected settings. We argue for a recognition of faith actors as agents operating within a therapeutic marketplace, which on occasion links suffering to social inequality and exclusion. We show, moreover, that the formal inclusion of Christian actors within MHPSS may not equate to the enforcement of rights-based values at the core of international ideas of protection.
信仰者在全球心理健康领域的作用变得越来越重要，他们被纳入人道主义环境中的心理社会支持服务中。然而，这方面的实证研究仍然不足。本研究探讨了乌干达北部当地信仰者应对精神困扰的历史和当代活动。鉴于他们先前的角色，我们质疑在受冲突影响的环境中，人道主义者利用信仰者提供心理健康和心理社会支持（MHPSS）意味着什么。我们认为，有必要认识到信仰者是在治疗市场中运作的代理人，他们有时将苦难与社会不平等和排斥联系起来。此外，我们还表明，将基督教行为者正式纳入 MHPSS 中并不一定意味着在国际保护理念核心的基于权利的价值观的实施。
