Launching Policy Brief on Psychosocial Well-Being for Adolescents in Jordan
06-12-2023
The National Council for Family Affairs, in cooperation with the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) research programme, launched policy briefs on the psychosocial well-being of adolescents in Jordan today, Monday.
The papers explore how to address the mental health challenges facing adolescents in Jordan and tackle the key determinants of mental health to help them.
The Secretary-General, Dr. Mohammad Miqdadi, underscored the importance of these papers and their spotlight on the broad and evolving concept of psychosocial well-being. He pointed out the significance of partnerships with various institutions, including the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) program, in preparing these papers, highlighting the importance of focusing on the psychosocial aspect, specifically during adolescence.
There are individual, family, and social factors that influence an individual's psychological, either by protecting and enhancing it or by undermining it. This is because individuals have varying abilities to deal with the situations they encounter, Miqdadi added.
According to the World Health Organization statistics on disruptive and antisocial behavior disorders in 2019, there were 40 million people, including children and adolescents, had behavioral disorders, he said.
He further explained that COVID-19 has shed new light on the urgent need to meet the psychological needs, including those of adolescents, since they are among the groups that have borne psychological burdens due to the pandemic's consequences. It was inevitable to turn our attention to this group, considering the long-term impact of the psychological aspect on their well-being and decisions.
Miqdadi underscored that these papers are aimed at enhancing the evidence base on the psychological well-being of adolescents in Jordan and exploring the factors that lead to emotional distress among them. Furthermore, they discuss the psychological state of this group, serving as a stepping stone for building future plans and implementing programs to ensure their psychological well-being
In turn, Dr. Nicola Jones, Director of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) program, said "It is important to invest heavily in multi-sectoral and multi-form strategies to address the main determinants of mental well-being, especially unemployment, poverty, that is why it is of the utmost importance to work on expanding social protection programmes as well as education and skills-building programmes for youth and adolescents", Jones added, also noting the need “to invest in combating violence against adolescents, including child marriages for those under the age of 18”.
Dr. Bassam Abu Hamad, a member of the research team, discussed the roles of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) Program, which monitors 20,000 adolescents in developing countries. The project aims to enhance well-being and opportunities for impoverished boys and girls. It strives for economic empowerment, psychological well-being, and sensory safety for them.
The brief focuses on the effectiveness of Jordan's efforts to meet the psychological needs of adolescents by enhancing the evidence base and proof regarding how gender, social identity, and disability shape psychosocial well-being. This is embodied through a partnership between the Ministries of Education and Health and the Japan International Cooperation Agency to develop and implement a school mental health care package accompanied by psychological first aid for children.
The policies brief listed several recommendations, including raising public awareness about the importance of psychological health, providing community and specialized psychological services, and scaling up official and semi-official psychological and social support services for adolescents and youth who are most vulnerable to shocks.
