Research Department

In keeping with the GCMHP's mission to deal hands-on with the issues of psychological trauma facing the Gaza Community, the Research Department was established immediately after the opening of the Programme to investigate and analyze how the population has been affected by violence. The Research team, which comprised the first institution to conduct extensive scientific research on the psychosocial phenomena affecting the mental health of the population, provides a vital link between the care provided by the Programme and the outside world. By spreading information about the widespread effects of political violence and oppression in Gaza, the Research team is the academic voice behind the work of the Programme. Through the tool of research, we are able to investigate the extent of psychological problems in Gaza and to help relieve those problems by communicate their nature to the global community.

In addition to creating a solid body of knowledge on the mental health and human rights issues that the Programme must confront, GCMHP's Research Department aims to develop a clear profile of the current situation in Gaza. The Research Department therefore is central both to the work of the Programme and to the building of the Palestinian State. One example of the department's work in the latter is the adoption by the Ministry of Health in 1998 of a GCMHP study on the of stress-related disorders in the Gaza Strip; whereas mental health issues had normally been ignored prior, these psychological disorders are now included in the Ministry's comprehensive five-year plan for health in Palestine.

The work of the Research Department currently focuses on the following areas:


Below are abstracts of research that was completed in 1993-2004 by the Research Department: