Efficacy of narrative therapy for orphan and abandoned children with anxiety and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders in Rwanda: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Although narrative therapy (NT) is globally practiced for alleviating psychological disorders, studies of its efficacy for vulnerable children are still scarce, especially in African post-conflict settings. Thus, this study was aimed at assessing the efficacy of NT for Rwandan Orphans and abandoned children (OAC) with ADHD and anxiety disorders. METHOD: This study was a parallel randomized controlled trial in which participants (n = 72) were recruited from SOS Children's Villages. A half of participants (n = 36) were randomly allocated to either the NT group or the waitlist control group (WCG). Outcomes were collected at baseline before randomization and 10 weeks post-randomization. RESULTS: ANOVA results indicated a significant main effect of time for anxiety disorders (p < .001, ηp2= 0.176), and the main effects of group were significant for anxiety disorders (p < .001, ηp2= 0.254) and ADHD disorders (p < .001, ηp2= 0.260). There was a significant time by group interaction effect for anxiety disorders (p < .001, ηp2= 0.328) and for ADHD (p < .001, ηp2= 0.193). Between group analyses showed that the difference in symptoms was significant for anxiety disorders (p < .001, Cohen's d = 1.28) and for ADHD (p < .001, Cohen's d = 1.6) during the posttest, and the effect sizes were large. LIMITATION: The long-term effects of the intervention for the current sample were not assessed in this study. CONCLUSION: Despite its limitations, this study provides initial support for the safety, efficacy, and usefulness of NT among Rwandan OAC with ADHD and anxiety disorders. Health professionals must implement the new intervention as an everyday tool.

A randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of narrative therapy on resilience of orphaned and abandoned children fostered in SOS children's village.

Background: Narrative Therapy is an efficacious treatment approach widely practiced for various psychological conditions. However, few studies have examined its effectiveness on resilience, a robust determinant of one's mental health, and there has been no randomized controlled trial in sub-Saharan Africa.Objective: This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of narrative therapy for the resilience of orphaned and abandoned children in Rwanda.Method: This study was a 'parallel randomized controlled trial' in which participants (n = 72) were recruited from SOS Children's Village. Half of the participants (n = 36) were randomly allocated to the intervention group and the rest to the delayed narrative therapy group. For the intervention group, children attended ten sessions (55 min each) over 2.5 months. Data were collected using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM) and analyzed using mixed ANOVA within SPSS version 28.Result: The results from ANOVA indicated a significant main effect of time and group for resilience total scores. Of interest, there was a significant time by group interaction effect for resilience. Pairwise comparison analyses within-group showed a significant increase in resilience in the intervention group, and the effect size was relatively large in this group.Conclusion: Our findings highlight the notable efficacy of narrative therapy for children's resilience in the intervention group. Therefore, health professionals and organizations working with orphaned and abandoned children will apply narrative therapy to strengthen their resilience and improve mental health.Trial registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry identifier: PACTR202107499406828..

The effect size of narrative therapy for resilience was relatively large in the intervention group.Narrative therapy is an efficacious approach for resilience elevation in orphaned and abandoned children.Close attention should be paid to the implementation of narrative therapy for strengthening children's resilience as an everyday tool in foster care.