Lay-led intervention for war and refugee trauma-A randomized clinical trial

Lay-led intervention for war and refugee trauma-A randomized clinical trial
JAMA Network Open; Lori A. Zoellner, PhD; Jacob A. Bentley, PhD; Kawther Musa, MA; Farhiya Mohamed, MSW; Luul B. Ahmed, BA; Kevin M. King, PhD; Norah C. Feeny, PhD; for the Islamic Trauma Healing Clinical Team; 8/24
The global refugee crisis disproportionately affects the Muslim world [and] forced displacement often results in trauma-related mental health issues. Effective psychotherapy exists, but there are barriers to uptake by refugee groups as well as a lack of culturally appropriate interventions. In a randomized clinical trial with a US-based sample of 101 refugees, Islamic Trauma Healing showed significant effects on posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and well-being, compared with the control group, with gains maintained through 12-week follow-up. The findings of this study suggest that this deep-cultural–adapted intervention has the potential to provide an easily trainable and scalable model to reach war and refugee communities unlikely to either have access to or seek Western-based mental health interventions.