Elizabeth A Newnham1, Ryan K McBain2, Katrina Hann3, Adeyinka M Akinsulure-Smith4, John Weisz5, Grace M Lilienthal6, Nathan Hansen7, Theresa S Betancourt8. 1. François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia. 2. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. 3. François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. 4. Department of Psychology, City College of New York, New York, New York. 5. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts. 6. François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. 7. Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. 8. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: Theresa_Betancourt@harvard.edu.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Mental disorders are among the largest contributors to the global burden of disease. Since the cessation of the Sierra Leonean civil war in 2002, there have been few mental health resources available for war-affected youth. Co-occurring psychological problems are commonly reported by youth in the post-conflict setting, suggesting a need for evidence-based interventions that cater to comorbid psychological difficulties. This feasibility study outlines the implementation and evaluation of a mixed-methods approach for developing and piloting a culturally grounded group mental health treatment-the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI)-for war-affected Sierra Leonean youth. METHODS: Participating youth (N = 32; 50% female; ages, 15-24 years) were allocated to one of four gender- and age-stratified groups, facilitated by gender-matched Sierra Leonean interventionists. The intervention comprised adapted cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to address issues pertinent to war-affected youth. Analyses comprised assessments of reliable symptom change, mental health, functional adaptation, and interventionist fidelity outcomes. RESULTS: The YRI was found to be acceptable, feasible and associated with reliable changes in internalizing and externalizing symptoms and improvements in functional impairments and emotion regulation (mean effect size, d = .64). CONCLUSIONS: Youth struggling with the mental health consequences of past trauma due to war merit special attention. The YRI presents a feasible and acceptable intervention for use in this low resource setting. A randomized controlled trial is planned to further test intervention effectiveness and scalability.
PURPOSE:Mental disorders are among the largest contributors to the global burden of disease. Since the cessation of the Sierra Leonean civil war in 2002, there have been few mental health resources available for war-affected youth. Co-occurring psychological problems are commonly reported by youth in the post-conflict setting, suggesting a need for evidence-based interventions that cater to comorbid psychological difficulties. This feasibility study outlines the implementation and evaluation of a mixed-methods approach for developing and piloting a culturally grounded group mental health treatment-the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI)-for war-affected Sierra Leonean youth. METHODS: Participating youth (N = 32; 50% female; ages, 15-24 years) were allocated to one of four gender- and age-stratified groups, facilitated by gender-matched Sierra Leonean interventionists. The intervention comprised adapted cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to address issues pertinent to war-affected youth. Analyses comprised assessments of reliable symptom change, mental health, functional adaptation, and interventionist fidelity outcomes. RESULTS: The YRI was found to be acceptable, feasible and associated with reliable changes in internalizing and externalizing symptoms and improvements in functional impairments and emotion regulation (mean effect size, d = .64). CONCLUSIONS: Youth struggling with the mental health consequences of past trauma due to war merit special attention. The YRI presents a feasible and acceptable intervention for use in this low resource setting. A randomized controlled trial is planned to further test intervention effectiveness and scalability.
Authors: Margaret L Prust; Leslie Curry; Tamora A Callands; Janeen Drakes; Kristen McLean; Benjamin Harris; Nathan B Hansen Journal: Community Ment Health J Date: 2017-09-02
Authors: Ryan K McBain; Carmel Salhi; Katrina Hann; Jim Kellie; Alimamy Kamara; Joshua A Salomon; Jane J Kim; Theresa S Betancourt Journal: Bull World Health Organ Date: 2015-10-16 Impact factor: 9.408
Authors: Nicole A Stadnick; Miya L Barnett; Gregory A Aarons; Lucy Blake; Lauren I Brookman-Frazee; Paul Dourgnon; Thomas Engell; Florence Jusot; Anna S Lau; Constance Prieur; Ane-Marthe Solheim Skar Journal: BMC Proc Date: 2020-04-06