Table 3.

Recommendations for specialist training related to MHPSS research in emergencies

• Cross-cultural competencies [21, 27], including for researchers partnering with existing organisation staff in research [41];

• Basic helping skills such as Psychological First Aid [76] [23, 27];

• Identifying those at risk or considered vulnerable [45];

• Knowledge of referral pathways and responding to participant distress, vulnerability, and protection needs [14, 35, 43, 45, 61]; including ongoing monitoring procedures [24];

• How to recognise, establish and maintain professional boundaries [14] and manage issues not directly related to study conduct [61];

• Mental health skills including recognising severe mental illness [65];

• Risk management [39];

• Safety covering emergency preparedness, field coordination practices, background to the emergency [52], social and psychological risks associated with working in emergencies [61], and self-care [14];

• Understanding and implementing confidentiality and anonymity procedures [1, 14, 35];

• Data management procedures and dissemination arrangements [14];

• Background to the research topic [14];

• Specialist training in any tools, instruments and documents, including interviewers engaging and developing rapport with respondents [14];

• Specialist training that recognises the role of interpreters as active producers of research findings [51], covering confidentiality [1, 32] and power relationships [32].