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Pilot evaluation of a group stabilisation intervention for refugees and asylum seekers with PTSD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2021

Mary Griggs ,
Cheng Liu  and
Kate Cooper Open the ORCID record for Kate Cooper [Opens in a new window]
Mary Griggs*
Affiliation:
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Cheng Liu
Affiliation:
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust Vita Health Group
Kate Cooper
Affiliation:
University of Bath Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is commonly experienced by asylum seekers and refugees (ASR). Evidence supports the use of cognitive behavioural therapy-based treatments, but not in group format for this population. However, group-based treatments are frequently used as a first-line intervention in the UK.

Aims:

This study investigated the feasibility of delivering a group-based, manualised stabilisation course specifically developed for ASR. The second aim was to evaluate the use of routine outcome measures (ROMs) to capture psychological change in this population.

Method:

Eighty-two participants from 22 countries attended the 8-session Moving On After Trauma (MOAT) group-based stabilisation treatment. PHQ-9, GAD-7, IES-R and idiosyncratic outcomes were administered pre- and post-intervention.

Results:

Seventy-one per cent of participants (n = 58) attended five or more of the treatment sessions. While completion rates of the ROMs were poor – measures were completed at pre- and post-intervention for 46% participants (n = 38) – a repeated-measures MANOVA indicated significant improvements in depression (p = .001, ηp2 = .262), anxiety (p = .000, ηp2 = .390), PTSD (p = .001, ηp2 = .393) and idiosyncratic measures (p = .000, ηp2 = .593) following the intervention.

Conclusions:

Preliminary evidence indicates that ASR who attended a low-intensity, group-based stabilisation group for PTSD experienced lower mental health scores post-group, although the lack of a comparison group means these results should be interpreted with caution. There are significant challenges in administering ROMs to individuals who speak many different languages, in a group setting. Nonetheless, groups have benefits including efficiency of treatment delivery which should also be considered.

Keywords

asylum seekerPTSDrefugeetrauma
Type
Brief Clinical Report
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 50 , Issue 1 , January 2022 , pp. 111 - 116
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

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