Journal Article

Internet-based transdiagnostic treatment for emotional disorders in Arabic- and Farsi-speaking refugees: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Muntendorf, Louisa, Reinhardt, Isabelle, Konnopka, Alexander, Paskuy, Sophia, Nilles, Hannah, Heeke, Carina, Sierau, Susan, Glaesmer, Heide, Boettche, Maria, Boettcher, Johanna, Pohl, Steffi, Hernek, Martina, Nohr, Laura, Renneberg, Babette, Burchert, Sebastian, Stammel, Nadine, Heinrich, Manuel, Wagner, Birgit, Gouzoulis-Mayfrank, Euphrosyne, Wirz, Christina, Knaevelsrud, Christine

2024

Overview

Background Refugee populations have an increased risk for mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorders. Comorbidity is common. At the same time, refugees face multiple barriers to accessing mental health treatment. Only a minority of them receive adequate help. The planned trial evaluates a low-threshold, transdiagnostic Internet-based treatment. The trial aims at establishing its efficacy and cost-effectiveness compared with no treatment. Methods N  = 131 treatment-seeking Arabic- or Farsi-speaking patients, meeting diagnostic criteria for a depressive, anxiety, and/or posttraumatic stress disorder will be randomized to either the intervention or the waitlist control group. The intervention group receives an Internet-based treatment with weekly written guidance provided by Arabic- or Farsi-speaking professionals. The treatment is based on the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA), is tailored to the individual patient, and takes 6–16 weeks. The control group will wait for 3 months and then receive the Internet-based treatment. Discussion The planned trial will result in an estimate of the efficacy of a low-threshold and scalable treatment option for the most common mental disorders in refugees. Trial registration German Registry for Clinical Trials DRKS00024154. Registered on February 1, 2021.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adaptation / Anxiety / Anxiety Disorders - diagnosis / App based / Biomedicine / Care and treatment / Clinical psychology / Clinical trials / Cognitive-behavioral / Common elements treatment approach / Comorbidity / Demographic aspects / Diagnosis / Drug abuse / Education / Emotional disorders / Health aspects / Health economics / Health Sciences / Health services / Humans / Internet / Intervention / Medical schools / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Mental depression / Mental disorders / Mental health / Mood Disorders / Persian language / Pilot projects / Post traumatic stress disorder / Psychiatric services / Psychological aspects / Psychotherapy / Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Refugee / Refugees / Refugees - psychology / Self help / Social aspects / Sociology / Statistics for Life Sciences / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis / Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy / Study Protocol / Tailored / Technology application / Treatment Outcome