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...

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Main Authors: Zarmina Islam, Aiman Rija, Parvathy Mohanan, Khulud Qamar, Kainat Jahangir, Faisal A. Nawaz, Mohammad Yasir Essar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2022-01-01
Series:Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health
Subjects:
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.
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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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