Feasibility and Acceptability of BRIGHT
Boosting Refugee Integration Through Psychological Intervention (BRIGHT) - a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial
University of Zurich
40 participants
Oct 7, 2024
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
Refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) face numerous stressors and adversities which put them at risk for developing mental health problems. However, access to adequate mental health care in host countries is limited. To address this problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced Problem Management Plus (PM+), a short, low-intensity psychological intervention administered by non-professionals, aiming to alleviate common mental disorders among crisis-affected communities. The objective of this pilot RCT is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an adapted version of PM+ for refugees and asylum-seekers. This will inform the design of a definitive RCT and implementation study.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria4
- refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) aged 16 or older;
- residing in one of the participating local sites (Swiss municipalities, namely, Gemeinden, and transitional asylum centers, namely, Durchgangszentren) where PM+ is offered and which gave their consent for participation in the RCT;
- speaking at least one of the following 12 languages: German, English, French, Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian, Russian, Tamil, and Pashto;
- obtaining a score of 20 or higher on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10; Kessler et al., 2002), a brief clinically validated screening questionnaire that assesses general psychological distress in the past 30 days. A score equal to or higher than 20 is used as an indication of moderate to high levels of psychological distress.
Exclusion Criteria3
- significant cognitive or neurological impairment measured through specific tools developed by the WHO and integrated into the PM+ manual (impairment questionnaire);
- acute medical conditions or severe mental disorders (e.g., psychotic or substance-abuse disorders) measured through specific tools developed by the WHO and integrated into the PM+ manual (impairment questionnaire);
- acute risk of suicide as measured by the Suicidal Ideation Attribution Scale (SIDAS; van Spijker et al., 2014) and the Thoughts of Suicide Questionnaire (World Health Organization WHO, 2016).
Interventions
Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a brief, psychological intervention program based on CBT techniques that are empirically supported and formally recommended by the WHO. The full protocol was developed by the WHO and the University of New South Wales, Australia. The manual involves the following empirically supported elements: problem solving plus stress management, behavioural activation, facing fears, and accessing social support. These elements have been recommended in recent WHO guidelines. Additionally, the original five PM+ sessions will be augmented in two ways. First, the participants will receive three 30-45-minutes telephone booster sessions 10, 22, and 34 weeks after the final original PM+ session. The second augmentation strategy will comprise a digital support program that participants can access via the internet.
Locations(1)
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NCT06397105