219 research outputs found
Mapping the evidence on psychosocial interventions for migrant populations: Descriptive analysis of a living database of randomized studies
Full text linkMigrant mental health is a pressing public health issue with wide-ranging implications. Many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted in this population to assess the effects of psychosocial interventions. However, the available evidence is characterized by controversy and fragmentation, with studies focusing on different migrant populations, interventions, outcomes, delivery modalities and settings. Aiming to promote systematic reviews of the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in different migrant groups, we have developed a living database of existing RCTs. The development of the database provides an opportunity to map the existing RCT evidence in this population. A total of 135 studies involving 24,859 participants were included in the living database. The distribution of studies by year of publication aligns with the increasing global migrant population in recent years. Most studies focus primarily on adult participants, with a limited representation of children and adolescents, and a prevalence of female participants, which is consistent with epidemiological data, except for older adults, who are underrepresented in research. Studies predominantly focus on refugees and asylum seekers, likely due to their elevated risk of mental health issues, despite the substantial presence of economic migrants worldwide. While studies mainly involve migrants from the Middle East and East Asia, epidemiological data suggest a broader geographic representation, with migrants coming from Eastern Europe, Latin America and South Asia. The present descriptive analysis of RCTs on mental health and psychosocial interventions for migrant populations provides valuable insights into the existing research landscape. It should be used to inform future research efforts, ensuring that studies are more representative of the global migrant population and more responsive to the mental health needs of migrants in different contexts
Protocol for individual participant data meta-analysis of interventions for post-traumatic stress
Full text linkIntroduction Several evidence-based treatments are effective for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet a substantial proportion of patients do not respond or dropout of treatment. We describe the protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis (IPD-MA) aimed at assessing the effectiveness and adverse effects of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy interventions for treating PTSD. Additionally, we seek to examine moderators and predictors of treatment outcomes.
Method and analysis This IPD-MA includes randomised controlled trials comparing psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy interventions for PTSD. PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, PTSDpubs and CENTRAL will be screened up till the 11th of January 2021. The target population is adults with above-threshold baseline PTSD symptoms on any standardised self-report measure. Trials will only be eligible if at least 70% of the study sample have been diagnosed with PTSD by means of a structured clinical interview. The primary outcomes of this IPD-MA are PTSD symptom severity, and response rate. Secondary outcomes include treatment dropout and adverse effects. Two independent reviewers will screen major bibliographic databases and past reviews. Authors will be contacted to contribute their participant-level datasets. Datasets will be merged into a master dataset. A one-stage IPD-MA will be conducted focusing on the effects of psychological and pharmacological interventions on PTSD symptom severity, response rate, treatment dropout and adverse effects. Subsequent analyses will focus on examining the effect of moderators and predictors of treatment outcomes. These will include sociodemographic, treatment-related, symptom-related, resilience, intervention, trauma and combat-related characteristics. By determining the individual factors that influence the effectiveness of specific PTSD treatments, we will gain insight into personalised treatment options for PTSD
sj-doc-1-dhj-10.1177_20552076221129084 - Supplemental material for Effectiveness of a stepped-care programme of internet-based psychological interventions for healthcare workers with psychological distress: Study protocol for the RESPOND healthcare workers randomised controlled trial
No full textSupplemental material, sj-doc-1-dhj-10.1177_20552076221129084 for Effectiveness of a stepped-care programme of internet-based psychological interventions for healthcare workers with psychological distress: Study protocol for the RESPOND healthcare workers randomised controlled trial by Roberto Mediavilla, Kerry R McGreevy, Mireia Felez-Nobrega, Anna Monistrol-Mula, María-Fe Bravo-Ortiz, Carmen Bayón, Beatriz Rodríguez-Vega, Pablo Nicaise, Audrey Delaire, Marit Sijbrandij, Anke B. Witteveen, Marianna Purgato, Corrado Barbui, Federico Tedeschi, Maria Melchior, Judith van der Waerden, David McDaid, A-La Park, Raffael Kalisch, Papoula Petri-Romão, James Underhill, Richard A. Bryant, Josep Maria Haro, José Luis Ayuso-Mateos and in Digital Health</p
Implementing scalable face-to-face and digital interventions among forcibly displaced persons from Ukraine in Europe: protocol of The U-RISE Project.
Full text linkpeer reviewedBackground: The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 has led to millions of forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) within Ukraine and other European countries. Due to war-related exposure and displacement adversities, this group is at significant risk of developing depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health problems. Systemic barriers, including insufficiently equipped mental health systems and language barriers, prevent FDPs from receiving adequate mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). Scalable interventions delivered in person by non-specialist helpers, or digitally, provide opportunities to scale up the MHPSS response.Objectives: This paper aims to provide an overview of the 'Ukraine's displaced people in the EU: Reach out, Implement, Scale-up and Evaluate interventions promoting mental wellbeing' (U-RISE) project. U-RISE aims to improve the mental wellbeing of FDPs from Ukraine by establishing a network of Ukrainian mental health professionals, building sustainable capacity for provision and supporting implementation of scalable face-to-face and digital mental health interventions adapted to the specific needs of this population.Method: We build capacity for and implement scalable face-to-face interventions, including Problem Management Plus, Self Help Plus, and Multi-family Approach, for FDPs from Ukraine in Poland, Slovakia and Romania. Digital interventions, including the Doing What Matters in Times of Stress digital guide and a Telegram-based chatbot 'Friend' using principles of Psychological First Aid, are being implemented in Europe and Ukraine. To monitor the population's mental wellbeing and impact of the interventions, qualitative needs assessments among mental health providers and FDPs, and quantitative assessments pre- and post-intervention are collected.Conclusion: We provide a framework for the rapid implementation of face-to-face and digital interventions in countries that need to scale up their MHPSS in response to humanitarian or complex emergency crises.Scalable interventions delivered in person by non-specialists, or digitally, have the potential to scale up the mental health and psychosocial support in response to the mass displacement caused by the war in Ukraine.U-RISE aims to improve the mental wellbeing of forcibly displaced persons from Ukraine in Europe by building sustainable capacity and implementing multiple task-shifting programmes. These programmes include Self-Help Plus, Problem Management Plus and Multifamily Approach, as well as digital formats, including Doing What Matters in Times of Stress digital guide and a chatbot based on principles of Psychological First Aid.U-RISE provides a framework for the rapid implementation of scalable in-person and digital interventions underpinned by qualitative and quantitative research assessing the needs of various stakeholder groups and psychological outcomes pre- and post-intervention
Mental health needs and implementation barriers for psychosocial support among forcibly displaced Ukrainians in Poland, Romania, and Slovakia: a qualitative analysis
Full text linkBackground Since the beginning of Russia's offensive war against Ukraine, over 6.3 million forcibly displaced persons (FDPs) have settled in the European Union. This study aimed to identify key mental health and psychosocial challenges among Ukrainian forcibly displaced persons (FDPs), including symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD, as well as barriers to implementing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.Method Using a two-step qualitative design, we conducted free-listing (n = 18; convenience sample recruited from partner organisations) and key informant interviews (n = 12; snowball sample) with FDPs from Ukraine. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and pseudonymised. Data was analysed using an inductive approach, allowing themes to emerge from the data itself, and was then organised deductively using the System Innovation Approach framework. Data was coded independently by two authors and synthesised using consensus discussions.Results Findings revealed that Ukrainian FDPs face key challenges, including uncertainty about the future, a sense of disconnection from their communities, and the profound emotional impact of losing established roles, identity, and sense of purpose tied to their former social and professional lives. Important factors to consider when implementing MHPSS include stigma and culturally appropriate ways of communicating distress, such as somatisation. Participants also emphasised the importance of framing mental health services as health promotion to encourage uptake and acceptance.Conclusions These findings highlight urgent, multidimensional needs for Ukrainian FDPs and contribute to developing sustainable mental health support strategies for displaced populations affected by armed conflict or forced displacement
External interventions and the duration of civil wars
Full text linkThe authors combine an empirical model of external intervention, with a theoretical model of civil war duration. Their empirical model of intervention allows them to analyze civil war duration, using"expected"rather than"actual"external intervention as an explanatory variable in the duration model. Unlike previous studies, they find that external intervention is positively associated with the duration of civil war. They distinguish partial third-party interventions that extend the length of war, from multilateral"peace"operations, which have a mandate to restore peace without taking sides - and which typically take place at war's end, or at least when both sides have agreed to a cease-fire. In a future paper, the authors will examine whether partial third-party interventions - whatever their effect on a war's duration - increase the risk of war's recurrence. If that proves true, then even if interventions reduce the length of civil war, they may do so at the cost of further destabilizing the political system, and sowing the seeds of future rebellion.Children and Youth,Peace&Peacekeeping,Post Conflict Reconstruction,Post Conflict Reconstruction,International Affairs,Post Conflict Reconstruction,Social Conflict and Violence,Peace&Peacekeeping,Post Conflict Reconstruction,International Affairs
Commentary: Promoting positive mental health during pregnancy—reflections on Lähdepuro et al. (2023)
Full text linkLähdepuro et al. performed a sound large-scale prospective pregnancy cohort study showing an association between positive maternal prenatal mental health and a reduced risk of developing clinically diagnosed childhood mental and behavioral disorders. Beneficial effects were also observed among the offspring of mothers experiencing mental health problems before and during pregnancy. The pathbreaking findings of Lähdepuro et al. set the stage for future research to shed more light on the so far almost unknown (neuro)biological mechanisms underlying the link between positive maternal prenatal mental health and child outcomes. More knowledge is needed about prenatal psychological and social factors enacting the potential of positive mental health as a resilience source buffering against maternal prenatal mental health problems and by this protecting subsequent child development. This also calls for further development, optimization, and evaluation of positive mental health-enhancing interventions during pregnancy, especially for future mothers having mental health problems
Comparative efficacy and acceptability of psychosocial interventions for PTSD, depression, and anxiety in asylum seekers, refugees, and other migrant populations: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled studiesResearch in context
Full text linkSummary: Background: Migrant populations are at increased risk of developing mental health problems. We aimed to compare the efficacy and acceptability of psychosocial interventions in this population. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA). Cochrane Central Register of randomised trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, PTSDpubs, PsycINFO, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from database inception to October 7, 2024, to identify randomized clinical trials assessing the efficacy of psychosocial interventions for migrant populations in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression or anxiety. Studies with second-generation migrants were excluded if they comprised over 20% of participants. Two independent researchers screened, reviewed, and extracted data. The primary outcomes were the severity of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms at post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included acceptability. Standardised mean differences (SMDs) and risk ratios (RRs) were pooled using pairwise and NMA. PROSPERO: CRD42023418817. Findings: Of the 103 studies with 19,230 participants included, 96 contributed to the meta-analyses for at least one outcome, with women representing 64% of the participants. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), counselling, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and creative expressive interventions demonstrated greater efficacy than treatment as usual (TAU) in reducing PTSD symptoms, with SMDs [95% Confidence Intervals (CIs)] ranging from −0.69 [−1.14, −0.24] to −0.60 [−1.20, −0.01], albeit with low confidence in the evidence. For depressive symptoms, Integrative therapy emerged as the top intervention compared to TAU, with moderate confidence (SMD [95% CI] = −0.70 [−1.21, −0.20]). For anxiety symptoms, NET, Integrative therapy, and Problem Management Plus (PM+)/Step-by-Step (SbS) were more effective than TAU, with SMDs [95% CIs] ranging from −1.32 [−2.05, −0.59] to −0.35 [−0.65, −0.05]. Still, the confidence in the evidence was low. Overall, head-to-head comparisons yielded inconclusive results, and the acceptability analysis revealed variations across interventions. 16% of the studies (17 studies) were classified as “high risk” of bias, 68% (70) as having “some concerns”, and 18% (19) as “low risk”. We identified considerable heterogeneity (I2 of >70%). Interpretation: The analysis revealed no clear differences in the efficacy of psychosocial interventions compared to TAU for reducing symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. While certain interventions showed potential benefits, confidence in these findings was generally low, limiting the ability to draw definitive conclusions about their comparative effectiveness. Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency
The long-term legacy of the Khmer Rouge period in Cambodia
Full text linkThe author studies the long-term impact of genocide during the period of the Khmer Rouge (1975-79) in Cambodia and contributes to the literature on the economic analysis of conflict. Using mortality data for siblings from the Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey in 2000, he shows that excess mortality was extremely high and heavily concentrated during 1974-80. Adult males had been the most likely to die, indicating that violent death played a major role. Individuals with an urban or educated background were more likely to die. Infant mortality was also at veryhigh levels during the period, and disability rates from landmines or other weapons were high for males who, given their birth cohort, were exposed to this risk. The very high and selective mortality had a major impact on the population structure of Cambodia. Fertility and marriage rates were very low under the Khmer Rouge but rebounded immediately after the regime's collapse. Because of the shortage of eligible males, the age and education differences between partners tended to decline. The period had a lasting impact on the educational attainment of the population. The education system collapsed during the period, so individuals-especially males-who were of schooling age during this interval had a lower educational attainment than the preceding and subsequent birth cohorts.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Public Health Promotion,Demographics,Early Child and Children's Health,Early Childhood Development,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Demographics,Adolescent Health,Early Childhood Development,Early Child and Children's Health
Beavers distant neighbours
No full textDATASET MIGRATED FROM FIGSHARE: The data is supplementary material to the article:Distant
neighbours: friends or foes? Eurasian beavers show context-dependent responses
to simulated intruders. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology. Authors: Anke Benten1†, Hannah B Cross2†, Helga V Tinnesand2,
Andreas Zedrosser2,3 and Frank Rosell2*1 Wildlife Research Unit, Agricultural
Centre Baden-Württemberg, Atzenberger Weg 99, 88326 Aulendorf, Germany
2 Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and
Maritime Sciences, Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health, University
of South-Eastern Norway, 3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway.
3 Department of Integrative Biology,
Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural
Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Gregor Mendel Str. 33, 1180
Vienna, Austria
† These authors contributed
equally to this work
*Corresponding author:
[email protected], phone: +47 35 95 27 62The data contains the behavioural responses (in seconds) from individual beavers to pairwise, experimental scent mounds with scent from conspecifics of different categories
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