Lay Therapist Effectiveness With Displaced Persons Kurdish Iraq

Completed

• Conditions: Therapeutics; Mental Health
• Interventions: Behavioral: Community Lay Therapist-Administered EBT

• Registration Number: NCT04684810
• Lead Sponsor: University of New Mexico

Brief Summary

Negative mental health effects of war exposure and displacement are pervasive, but many displaced persons and refugees in low-and-middle income countries lack access to evidence-based treatments. Community lay-therapists are a promising solution for the global mental health field. However, in spite of results from randomized-control trials, no research to-date has examined the external validity of community-led lay-therapist effectiveness. In this exploratory study, longitudinal data at three time points were collected from 28 Arabic-speaking displaced persons (nineteen women and nine men, ages 18-57) seeking mental health services from the Jiyan Foundation: a non-profit founded and based in Kurdish Iraq. Lay therapists trained in evidence-based treatments upon being hired operated largely independently of supervision from foreign clinicians. Participants in weekly psychotherapy completed the Posttraumatic Stress Checklist (PCL-5) and the Psychological Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at baseline, one month, and three months, as well as a modified measure assessing traumatic exposure, purpose-in-life, and a modified Afghan Daily Stressors Scale at baseline to assess for moderators of change over time.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2017-10-01
• Primary Completion: 2018-01-31
• Study Completion: 2018-01-31
• Study First Submitted: 2020-12-21
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-12-21
• Study First Posted: 2020-12-28
• Status Verified: 2021-10
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-10-31
• Last Update Posted: 2021-11-08

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 28

Inclusion Criteria

• Must speak Arabic fluently; must be seeking mental health services at the Jiyan Foundation

Exclusion Criteria

• No Arabic proficiency; under 18 years

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Treatment Group	Community Lay Therapist-Administered EBT	Participants seeking treatment completed longitudinal data

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
PTSD Symptoms	3 months	Measured by the PCL-5
Depression Symptoms	3 months	Measured by the PHQ-9

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Jiyan Foundation for Human Rights; 🇮🇶 Erbil, Iraq