Mental Health and the Aftermath of Trauma in Armenia

In 2020, Armenia experienced the devastating effects of the 2020 Artsakh War, compounded with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have shown that in times of conflict, instability and crisis, the use of alcohol among respective populations show a sharp increase, and unfortunately, low-and-middle-income countries are disproportionately affected by the consequences of unhealthy alcohol use. 

In 2021, Christina Mehranbod, MPH, PhD candidate at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, received a grant from the Columbia University Global Mental Health Council Grants Program to conduct research on alcohol usage in Armenia, along with Jeremy Kane, PhD, MPH, Kim Hekimian, PhD, and Christopher Morrison, PhD, MPH. The first of three aims of the research was conducted in collaboration with the AUA Avedisian Onanian Center for Health Services Research & Development (CHSR), and also involved students Sona Tunyan (MPH ‘22), Vineeth Paul (MPH ‘23) and Tigran Oganesyan (MPH ‘23), who joined the project as part of their public health internship to conduct the environmental assessment of the central part of Yerevan (5 km in radius).

With a goal to identify opportunities for preventive intervention to reduce alcohol use and its related harms in the country, the research project seeks to 1) assess the distribution and density of alcohol outlets and alcohol advertisements in the neighborhoods of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia; 2) explore youth adults’ perceptions, views, behavioral norms, and cultural contexts related to alcohol use and mental health; and 3) examine health care providers’ views of potential screening and intervention methods to address unhealthy alcohol use in young adults. To that end, the research project has the potential to inform programming and policies to develop affordable interventions that reduce unhealthy alcohol use and improve mental health.

 

Sona Tunyan

Master of Public Health ‘22

Armenian Educational Foundation Scholarship

I joined the project because it was exciting, evolutionary, and crucial for Armenia. I primarily collected data in the field. We coded the streets using a program called QGIS. I also took part in pretesting the questionnaire. Once the fieldwork began, we held regular meetings for data collectors to give a brief synopsis of their completed work, problems, and challenges.

There is a knowledge gap regarding alcohol exposure and consumption in Armenia, hence this study was extremely valuable for developing prevention strategies and addressing alcohol-related issues. Christina Mehranbod was an excellent supervisor and leader with a very constructive approach. Working on a project with her was incredibly beneficial. I have gained skills and knowledge that will come in handy in the future. I’ve learned how to use a program called QGIS and also developed my communication and negotiation skills.

 

Christina Mehranbod, MPH

Principal Investigator 

PhD Student, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

This is the first grant that established a connection between the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and AUA Turpanjian College of Health Sciences. Our team developed this project at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic changed alcohol use patterns worldwide, and with previously documented impacts of war and trauma on unhealthy alcohol use, we believed in the imperative need to understand the alcohol consumption landscape in Armenia. 

Our partnership with AUA has been truly exciting. It has provided an opportunity to combine all of our skills in public health methods and expertise, learn from the wide breadth of work that the public health researchers at AUA have already done, and examine together a topic among young adults that has potential implications for population health. This project has allowed us to work with expert, experienced researchers at AUA and stellar MPH students who have made this research possible and will ultimately allow us to work together to create context-specific prevention against alcohol-related harms, especially mental health outcomes.