Conferences

Wars inflict tremendous damage on societies. While, there is a large body of literature dedicated to investigating the impact of war, little attention has been given to the methodological complexities encountered by researchers in conducting wartime surveys. Lebanon has been a scene of wars since 1975. The Institute for Development, Research, Advocacy and Applied Care (IDRAAC) was initially founded in 1982 to study the mental health consequences of war on the Lebanese population and to promote and conduct mental health awareness and community services in Lebanon. As part of its mission, IDRAAC has conducted several surveys at different phases of the war to investigate the short and long-term psychological effects of war on different target populations (adult, adolescents, and children). The series of surveys conducted by IDRAAC provides an opportunity for recognizing the challenges encountered in designing and operating surveys in war settings. Building on the collective experience of the research team, a preliminary framework is presented that describes the particularities of wartime research. The challenges imposed by these war conflict particularities on the survey lifecycle are also illustrated by giving examples from the Lebanon wars studies. Difficulties encountered during sample selection, questionnaire development, interviewers hiring and training, pre-testing, data collection, and post-production phases are discussed. Some future directions about conducting surveys in war settings are suggested. These include adapting wartime surveys to maintain scientific rigor while addressing feasibility concerns, building a network of researchers and survey units specialized in conflict-related surveys, and establishing specific guidelines for adapting survey design and implementation in conflict settings.