DIFI presents the impact of covid-19 on family mental health at the sidelines of hlpf 2021

Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) participated in an event held at the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2021 (HLPF 2021) on July 12, 2021. The side event aligns with the aim of the HLPF 2021 on global resilient and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by addressing challenges and solutions to achieve physical and mental health equity.

Themed “Building Back Better after COVID-19 through Addressing Health Equity, Mental Health, and Well-being: Contributions of Psychological Science and Practice to Leave No One Behind”, the event included state remarks by Ambassadors of Member States, presentations by scientific experts, and talks from leaders of ongoing health and mental health programs in Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nepal, and India.

As one of the scientific experts, Dr. Sharifa Al Emadi, Executive Director, DIFI, presented the “Impact of COVID-19 on Family Mental Health”. Using different research data, including from DIFI studies titled “Surviving a Crisis: Impact of Coronavirus on Family Cohesion in Qatar,” and “Adolescents Wellbeing in Qatar”, she covered the challenges that impact mental health during COVID-19; the effect of COVID-19 on family mental wellbeing, including family cohesion, family and caregiving and work-family balance.

She concluded by highlighting key messages, from which, she stated that the lockdown provided opportunity for families to be more connected and enhanced family cohesions and overall mental wellbeing. She also underlined the importance of Mental health support a key to help family members copying with crisis.

Other topics presented by scientific experts included “Improving health equity by addressing global mental health needs,” “Achieving equity in COVID-19 vaccine access and acceptance,” and “Health and mental health equity for Latin American migrant populations: Implications for programs and policy.”