WP 4 focused on developing better prevention, assessment, and training methods for the treatment of negative psychological responses to trauma among refugees and asylum-seekers. WP4 contributed to streamlining mental health assessment, prevention, and treatment processes for asylum seekers and refugees, towards reducing the strain on existing and future services. The findings from this WP are being applied for the design of better social policies, procedures, and more efficient mental health interventions for asylum seekers and refugees entering the EU.
WP 5 focused on frontline emergency personnel in humanitarian crises. It produced research that gives insight into the mechanisms by which vicarious trauma occurs, towards developing preventative solutions to reduce burnout and increase resilience and retention. Despite the frequency with which trauma-related distress occurs amongst first responders, identifying the risk factors for, and protective-factors against, trauma-related distress remained an important gap with personal, cultural and contextual factors likely interacting to determine what interventions will be effective. This WP therefore provides insights into how vicarious traumatization occurs, those most at-risk, and the predictive and protective factors, and management-level interventions that can increase resilience and retention. The research produced by this WP is currently being applied to develop new, innovative strategies to reduce secondary traumatization amongst first responders and EU-based humanitarian responders, thus leading to decreased burnout and compassion fatigue, improved staff retention, and appropriate deployments.
WP 6 focused on factors that explain differences in risk for exposure to childhood trauma, subsequent development of trauma-related distress, and to thereafter make recommendations to prevent the perpetration of childhood- and gender-based violence. This WP addressed gaps in understanding by developing a limited field of research and gaining vital information regarding the exact mechanisms by which victims of childhood trauma can develop into individuals who perpetrate violence upon the next generation of citizens. These findings provide insight into transgenerational cycles of violence and provide improved psychological treatment for victims, and limit the cycle of trauma and violence. Such insights will be used towards reshaping public policy in terms of how both victims and perpetrators of childhood- and gender-based violence should be treated.
All CONTEXT ESRs recieved state-of-the-art training in quantitative and qualitative methods, in dissemination, gender and cultural determinations of trauma responses, and public engagement methods. Furthermore, unlike traditional PhD programmes each ESR has received training through their secondment to their non-academic beneficiary. During these non-academic secondments, ESRs received experience in cross-sectoral collaborations, demonstrated trans-national flexibility, and gained the expertise and transferable skills necessary to disseminate their research findings across a number of academic, public, non-governmental, governmental, and humanitarian sectors, thereby increasing the likelihood that findings will be translated to improved social policy and practice.
