Acarturk 2022.
| Study characteristics | |
| Methods |
Study design: RCT Duration of study: the study was conducted from 2018 to 2020. Country: Turkey Income classification: upper‐middle‐income country in 2018‐2020 Geographical scope: Istanbul and Mardin, Turkey Healthcare setting: community groups |
| Participants | 1. Age: mean (SD) 31.5 (9.0) 2. Gender: both 3. Socioeconomic background: not specified 4. Educational background: for 61.8% of participants, primary school was the highest level of education, while 14.5% received an academic education. Inclusion criteria a. aged 18 years or older; b. able to speak and understand Arabic; c. being under temporary protection according to Law on Foreigners and International Protection; d. experiencing psychological distress, as shown by a score of 3 or more on the 12‐item dichotomously scored General Health Questionnaire; e. having completed oral and written informed consent to enter the study. Exclusion criteria a. presence of any mental disorder according to the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI); b. evidence of acute medical conditions contraindicating study participation; c. evidence of imminent suicide risk or suicide risk scored as “moderate or high” on the MINI; d. signs of impaired decision‐making capacity emerging from responses during the clinical interview. Refugees who were excluded because of a diagnosis of a mental disorder and/or imminent suicide risk were referred for treatment to a health professional. Note: at baseline, the intervention and control group scores for General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐12) were, respectively, 17.363 (4.519) and 16.776 (4.299). Stated purpose: to test the effectiveness of a self‐help psychological intervention developed by the World Health Organization, called Self‐Help Plus, in preventing the development of mental disorders among Syrian refugees experiencing psychological distress in Turkey |
| Interventions |
Name: Self Help Plus (SH+) Title/name of PW and number: facilitators (2 for each group session) 1. Selection: nonspecialist facilitators 2. Educational background: no specialist mental health training 3. Training: received training on the SH+ WHO manual 4. Supervision: followed close supervision following the SH+ manual 5. Incentives/remuneration: not specified Prevention type: indicated prevention – participants presented some level of distress as indicated by GHQ scores, but all those who screened positive to the MINI were excluded. Intervention details: the SH+ intervention consists of a pre‐recorded audio course, delivered by trained facilitators in a group setting and complemented with an illustrated self‐help book adapted for the target cultural group. The intervention is based on acceptance and commitment therapy, a form of cognitive behavioural therapy. It is delivered across five 2‐hour sessions. The audio material imparts key information about stress management and guides participants through individual exercises and small group discussions. The self‐help book reviews all essential content and concepts. In this study, a version of the intervention previously adapted for Syrian populations was used. Control: usual care (enhanced) – enhanced care as usual was provided to participants in both groups and consisted of routinely delivered social support and/or care. |
| Outcomes |
Participants’outcomes of interest for this review
Carers’ outcomes of interest for this review Nil Economic outcomes Nil Time points: baseline, post‐intervention (< 1 month, 1 to 6 months) |
| Notes |
Source of funding: European Commission (grant agreement no. 779255) Notes on validation of instruments (screening and outcomes): all outcome measures were selected as being previously validated in the context of the application. Additional information: none Handling the data: not applicable Prospective trial registration number: NCT03587896 |