Effects of a self-guided digital mental health self-help intervention for Syrian refugees in Egypt: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Digital mental health interventions for smartphones, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) Step-by-Step (SbS) program, are potentially scalable solutions to improve access to mental health and psychosocial support in refugee populations. Our study objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of SbS as self-guided intervention with optional message-based contact-on-demand (COD) support on reducing psychological distress, functional impairment, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and self-identified problems in a sample of Syrian refugees residing in Egypt. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a 2-arm pragmatic randomized controlled trial. A total of 538 Syrians residing in Egypt with elevated levels of psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale; K10 > 15) and reduced psychosocial functioning (WHODAS 2.0 > 16) were randomized into SbS + CAU (N = 266) or CAU only (N = 272). Primary outcomes were psychological distress (Hopkins Symptom Checklist 25) and impaired functioning (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0) at 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were symptoms of PTSD (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 short form, PCL-5 short) and self-identified problems (Psychological Outcomes Profiles Scale, PSYCHLOPS). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses showed significant but small effects of condition on psychological distress (mean difference: -0.15; 95% CI: -0.28, -0.02; p = .02) and functioning (mean difference: -2.04; 95% CI: -3.87, -0.22; p = .02) at 3-month follow-up. There were no significant differences between groups on symptoms of PTSD and self-identified problems. Remission rates did not differ between conditions on any of the outcomes. COD was used by 9.4% of participants for a median of 1 contact per person. The main limitations are high intervention dropout and low utilization of COD support. CONCLUSIONS: The trial provides a real-world implementation case, showing small positive effects of a digital, potentially scalable and self-guided mental health intervention for Syrian refugees in Egypt in reducing psychological distress and improving overall functioning. Further user-centered adaptations are required to improve adherence and effectiveness while maintaining scalability. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Register for Clinical Studies DRKS00023505.

Why Did Our Trial Not Work Out? A Qualitative Analysis.

Background: An online self-help programme for the treatment of depression called Hap-pas-Hapi was tested among Albanian-speaking immigrants in Switzerland and Germany, and two different levels of cultural adaptation were compared. Despite a massive recruitment effort, an insufficient number of participants could be recruited, and the drop-out rate was over 90%. Aims: We conducted a qualitative study to better understand the reasons for the non-use of Hap-pas-Hapi. Method: Eleven interviews were conducted with 17 Albanian-speaking participants aged 19-59. Participants were recruited for the purpose of this study and were not participants from the trial. They went through the recruitment material and the Hap-pas-Hapi introduction module, commented on the graphic design, usability, content, and shared their views about mental health and self-help. Results: Participants criticised the lack of a "design system" (i.e., a clearly identifiable and consistent graphic design) on social media for Hap-pas-Hapi, and the recruitment messages were unclear. The programme itself was perceived to be important and helpful for the community at large, but most participants said that they would not use it for themselves. The younger generation would have preferred an application in German or French, while the older generation did not see a benefit in using an online self-help programme to manage their psychological distress. Negative beliefs about mental disorders and psychological interventions were perceived to be common in this target group. Discussion: A professional recruitment strategy, a more careful selection of the target population (e.g., age groups) and different kinds of adaptations might have resulted in a better acceptance of the intervention. At the same time, anti-stigma campaigns and psychoeducation are needed to enhance treatment motivation.

Trauma, resilience, and distress in post-revolution Egypt.

OBJECTIVE: Trauma represents a persistent threat to health and wellbeing. Yet, little research has examined links between trauma, psychopathology, and resilience in the Middle East and North Africa region outside of refugee settings, especially in Egypt. Existing studies in Egypt rarely examine trauma exposure from a polyvictimization lens, assess multiple forms of trauma-related psychopathology, or focus on dimensional symptom assessment. The current study aimed to address these gaps by (a) reporting on the diverse range of trauma exposure types, including direct, witnessed, and indirect exposure in a trauma-exposed sample; and (b) examining the associations between trauma exposure, psychopathology, and resilience. METHOD: Participants (N = 87) were drawn from the baseline survey of a randomized clinical trial for online treatment of posttraumatic stress and reported on demographics, trauma exposure, resilience, and psychopathology. RESULTS: Men reported more direct and witnessed exposure to sociopolitical violence than women, but there were no gender differences in sexual violence or total trauma exposure. Multivariate regression models examining the effect of trauma and resilience on psychopathology, controlling for age and gender, indicated that all models explained significant variance for posttraumatic stress and anxiety (F(87, 7)PTSS = 2.64, p = .022, R² = 16.5%; F(87, 7)Anx = 6.04, p < .001, R² = 31.2%) but not depression. Direct trauma exposure was associated with higher severity levels of posttraumatic stress and anxiety (ßPTSS = 1.11, p = .005; ßAnx = 1.04, p = .001). Resilience was only associated with lower levels of anxiety (ßAnx = -.22, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the high need for evidence-based care in Egypt for trauma-related psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

User experiences of a culturally adapted web-based intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder in Egypt: A qualitative study.

The following study describes the usability and the acceptability of an online intervention for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), PTSD Coach Online that was culturally adapted and translated into local Egyptian dialect. The adapted intervention was piloted in a randomized control trial with 87 Egyptians meeting clinical criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. Of the 41 participants who participated in the treatment condition, 15 participants (10 females, 5 males) were randomly selected to take part in a semistructured interview to explore their user experience. Favorable feedback centered on the program's ease of access, user-friendly tools, and cultural appropriateness. Participants also described benefits including increased awareness of PTSD, symptom reduction, and increased willingness to seek psychological support online or in person. In contrast, participants highlighted some drawbacks of the online program, particularly the need for further support or some kind of "human" interaction as well as feelings that the information was not sufficiently personalized and that activities could have been more interesting. The findings suggest that while the PTSD Coach Online-Arabic is unlikely to be an effective stand-alone support, approximately half of the sample indicated that the availability of online tools is important for accessibility of mental health care, particularly for those concerned with stigma. As such, it may be an important supplemental offering for other forms of ongoing care and support. Future research may consider integrated approaches to care that were highlighted as being of particular interest to participants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

PTSD Coach Online-Arabic: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial to Examine Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effectiveness.

The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 resulted in high-level exposure to sociopolitical violence, placing a large burden on the mental health care system that cannot be effectively met given the small number of available providers in Egypt. We conducted a nonblinded, randomized controlled pilot trial of an online, self-directed tool for managing posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). The study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the PTSD Coach Online-Arabic. Trauma-exposed Egyptian adults with clinically significant PTSS (N = 87; intervention group: n = 41) completed assessments at baseline, weekly over the treatment period, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. Of participants who completed weekly surveys, 88.9% used the program; 22.0% of participants reported regular, weekly use. Most tools received good likeability and perceived benefit scores, but lower perceived benefit scores on three tools suggest that some content may require additional adaptation. Intent-to-treat analyses using multilevel modeling with multiple imputation to account for missing data were conducted. Effect sizes for PTSS were below the cutoff for small effects at posttest, d = -0.14, but demonstrated a small positive effect at 3-months, d = -0.25. There was a small positive effect of treatment on anxiety at posttest, d = -0.37, and a medium effect at 3-month follow-up, d = -0.49. Treatment effects for depressed mood were below the cutoff for small effects at posttest and 3-months, ds = -0.14 and -0.18. These findings suggest that the PTSD Coach Online-Arabic may be a promising supplemental resource for support in this setting.