STRENGTHS: Fostering responsive mental health systems in the Syrian refugee crisis

Recruiting

Conditions: Common mental disorders
Posttraumatic stress disorder
Anxiety
Depression

Registration Number: NL-OMON26682

Lead Sponsor: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Brief Summary: Sijbrandij, M., Acarturk, C., Bird, M., Bryant, R. A., Burchert, S., Carswell, K., … Cuijpers, P. (2017). Strengthening mental health care systems for Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle East: integrating scalable psychological interventions in eight countries. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 8, 1388102. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2017.1388102 Dawson, K. S., Bryant, R. A., Harper, M., Kuowei Tay, A., Rahman, A., Schafer, A., & Van Ommeren, M. (2015). Problem Management Plus (PM+): A WHO transdiagnostic psychological intervention for common mental health problems. World Psychiatry, 14(3), 354–357. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20255 Dawson, K. S., Schafer, A., Anjuri, D., Ndogoni, L., Musyoki, C., Sijbrandij, M., … Bryant, R. A. (2016). Feasibility trial of a scalable psychological intervention for women affected by urban adversity and gender-based violence in Nairobi. BMC Psychiatry, 16(1), 410. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-1117-x Rahman, A., Hamdani, S. U., Awan, N. R., Bryant, R. A., Dawson, K. S., Khan, M. F., … Van Ommeren, M. (2016). Effect of a multicomponent behavioral intervention in adults impaired by psychological distress in a conflict-affected area of Pakistan. A randomized clinical trial. JAMA, 316(24), 2609–2617. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.17165

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Recruiting

Sex: Not specified

Target Recruitment: 184

Inclusion Criteria

Adults of 18 years or above
- Syrian refugee
- Arabic-speaking
- Elevated levels of psychological distress (K10 >15) and reduced psychosocial functioning (WHODAS 2.0 >16)

Exclusion Criteria

- Acute medical conditions
- Imminent suicide risk or expressed acute needs/protection risks (e.g., a young woman who expresses that she is at acute risk of being assaulted or killed)
- Severe mental disorder (psychotic disorders, substance-dependence)
- Severe cognitive impairment (e.g., severe intellectual disability or dementia)
- Currently enrolled in a specialized psychological treatment program (e.g., EMDR, CBT)

Study & Design

Study Type: Interventional

Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Psychological distress: HSCL-25

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Functional impairment: WHODAS 2.0<br>PTSD symptoms: PCL-5<br>Self-identified problems: PSYCHLOPS<br>Cost of care: CSRI schedule (adapted)<br>Access to health care: health access questionnaire developed by STRENGTHS consortium<br>Anger: STAS<br>Cortisol: hair cortisol concentrations<br>Impact of COVID-19