December 15, 2022

The recent COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the mental health of people, especially children and adolescents. Although previous studies have reported alarmingly high rates of mental health disorders and psychosocial problems among children and adolescents, these studies were limited by small sample size and poor generalizability of findings.

To address research gaps in mental health among this age group especially of vulnerable communities, a large-scale, school-based cross-sectional mental health survey was launched in Jordan by EMPHNET in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

The target population in this survey includes Jordanian children and adolescents aged between 8 and 8 years as well as of other nationalities and groups including Syrian and Palestinian refugees from public, private, and UNRWA schools in all governorates of Jordan, in addition to schools in Zaatari camp.  Data from this research is expected to generate estimates on the prevalence of mental disorders and describe mental health seeking behaviors and barriers among the target population. The findings of this study will help inform decision makers in the country on preventive and therapeutic services for school children and adolescents.