Effects of a brief intervention for symptoms of posttraumatic stress on mental health and social integration among refugees

Refugees are highly trauma burdened with excessive prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

However, refugees face a large variety of barriers in accessing mental healthcare, resulting in under-utilization of services. Untreated PTSD can have detrimental impact on integration into society. In this proposal, we aim to evaluate an online brief intervention method effective in alleviating symptoms of PTSD.

The intervention procedure will be carefully adapted and translated to cater the needs of refugees. Our primary objective is to assess long term mental health outcomes and its influence on social integration.

To achieve this, we plan to conduct two randomized control trials involving refugees exhibiting subclinical to clinical symptoms of PTSD.

One trial will focus on assessing the direct effects of the intervention on mental health outcomes, while the other will explore effectiveness when implemented within a regular treatment. In this study we follow up mental health status and indicators of social integration over a period of 18 months.

The outcomes of this proposal have the potential to provide evidence for a time and resource effective intervention for refugees.

We believe that the online format and brevity of the method make it well-suited for the targeted population, and have the potential to overcome some relevant barriers.

Additionally, this project will contribute to our understanding of the relationship between mental health and social integration.