Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19
Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis has severely impacted the mental health of frontline workers. With the introduction of the Taliban government, ongoing civil unrest, and other forms of violent attacks, healthcare workers (HCWs) continue to provide patient care despite minimal resources. A seve...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2022-01-01
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Series: | Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health |
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Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425122000036/type/journal_article |
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author | Zarmina Islam Aiman Rija Parvathy Mohanan Khulud Qamar Kainat Jahangir Faisal A. Nawaz Mohammad Yasir Essar |
author_facet | Zarmina Islam Aiman Rija Parvathy Mohanan Khulud Qamar Kainat Jahangir Faisal A. Nawaz Mohammad Yasir Essar |
author_sort | Zarmina Islam |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis has severely impacted the mental health of frontline workers. With the introduction of the Taliban government, ongoing civil unrest, and other forms of violent attacks, healthcare workers (HCWs) continue to provide patient care despite minimal resources. A severe contraction in the economy, poor supply of medications, political turmoil, and insufficient humanitarian aid have added to pre-existing problems. High levels of insecurity and instability as well as decades of traumatic experiences have contributed to increasing mental health challenges amongst frontline workers. Despite the scarcity of mental health services, HCWs continue to persevere with their service to the community. However, inadequate interventions may have serious implications for HCWs bearing the brunt of multiple traumas. Thus, governmental and international involvement is needed to address both the economic and psychological needs of HCWs in Afghanistan. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:12:52Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-a938308f62d049258f51fb0dc7874b51 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2054-4251 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-13T00:12:52Z |
publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
publisher | Cambridge University Press |
record_format | Article |
series | Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health |
spelling | doaj.art-a938308f62d049258f51fb0dc7874b512023-07-12T08:58:16ZengCambridge University PressCambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health2054-42512022-01-019616410.1017/gmh.2022.3Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19Zarmina Islam0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0485-0032Aiman Rija1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2455-5321Parvathy Mohanan2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2380-7048Khulud Qamar3https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2077-9835Kainat Jahangir4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3383-9884Faisal A. Nawaz5Mohammad Yasir Essar6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6554-7619Faculty of Medicine, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PakistanFaculty of Medicine, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PakistanFaculty of Medicine, Medical University Sofia, Sofia, BulgariaFaculty of Medicine, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PakistanFaculty of Medicine, Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PakistanCollege of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesFaculty of Dentistry, Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, AfghanistanAfghanistan's humanitarian crisis has severely impacted the mental health of frontline workers. With the introduction of the Taliban government, ongoing civil unrest, and other forms of violent attacks, healthcare workers (HCWs) continue to provide patient care despite minimal resources. A severe contraction in the economy, poor supply of medications, political turmoil, and insufficient humanitarian aid have added to pre-existing problems. High levels of insecurity and instability as well as decades of traumatic experiences have contributed to increasing mental health challenges amongst frontline workers. Despite the scarcity of mental health services, HCWs continue to persevere with their service to the community. However, inadequate interventions may have serious implications for HCWs bearing the brunt of multiple traumas. Thus, governmental and international involvement is needed to address both the economic and psychological needs of HCWs in Afghanistan.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425122000036/type/journal_articleAfghanistanburnoutcoronaviruseconomic crisishealth care workershumanitarian crisismental health |
spellingShingle | Zarmina Islam Aiman Rija Parvathy Mohanan Khulud Qamar Kainat Jahangir Faisal A. Nawaz Mohammad Yasir Essar Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19 Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health Afghanistan burnout coronavirus economic crisis health care workers humanitarian crisis mental health |
title | Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19 |
title_full | Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19 |
title_fullStr | Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19 |
title_full_unstemmed | Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19 |
title_short | Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during COVID-19 |
title_sort | afghanistan s humanitarian crisis and its impacts on the mental health of healthcare workers during covid 19 |
topic | Afghanistan burnout coronavirus economic crisis health care workers humanitarian crisis mental health |
url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425122000036/type/journal_article |
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