SWANA Trauma Mapping

Mapping Trauma and Recovery in South West Asia and North Africa

Project leader
Noor Sharif; Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha, Qatar

Project group

Noor Sharif; Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha, Qatar

Diala Hawi; Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Doha, Qatar & Lebanon

Collaborators are welcome (CAW). Please contact Noor Sharif

Aims

Mapping Trauma and Recovery across the Gulf region and/or broader Arabic SWANA region, explores how potentially traumatic events (PTE) are experienced and understood, in this region, starting in Qatar.

Morespecifically the aim of this project is:

Explore conceptualizations, expressions and experiences of trauma, including individual psychosocial and somatic responses to PTEs and the trauma sequelae, their perceived causes, approaches to coping and healing, subjective wellbeing and functioning, and the role of culture, context and identity in shaping subjective interpretation and the attribution of meaning.
Investigate culturally-specific healing and coping strategies, including individual vs collective approaches in the SWANA region.

Methods

The project is using a mixed-methods design that combines a survey with in-depth interviews adapted from the DSM-5-TR Cultural Formulation Interview, and is in methods partly similar to the Matrix project (The Many Faces of Trauma and Recovery around the World: Mapping Experiences in Cultural Context). It includes psychological and somatic responses, perceived causes, approaches to coping and healing, wellbeing and functioning, and the role of culture, context, and identity.

The SWANA regional hub

The SWANA region project operates separately from Matrix, with its own research team, data, and authorship. This project is the planned starting point for a broader Gulf regional research hub, focused on trauma and mental well-being across the Gulf region and/or broader Arabic SWANA region. Building on the Qatar site, the hub aims to develop culturally grounded, region-specific research in partnership with local institutions, people with lived experience, clinicians, and researchers.

Status

Pilot phase: translating and adapting the study materials into Arabic and assessing their cultural relevance and acceptability.

Collaborators are very welcome (CAW), specially form this region.