Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise training as an adjunct to trauma-focused psychotherapy in traumatized refugees and asylum seekers: study protocol of a randomized controlled trial.

Refugees are at particularly high risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder and comorbid depressive symptoms due to exposure to multiple man-made traumatic events.Narrative exposure therapy reliably reduces symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, but many patients retain their clinical diagnosis, untreated comorbid depressive symptoms may interfere with treatment response.The randomized controlled trial aims to investigate whether combining narrative exposure therapy with moderate-intensity aerobic exercise training enhances treatment outcomes for refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder and comorbid depressive symptoms, compared to narrative exposure therapy as a stand-alone treatment.