Knowledge Hub
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10/24/2016
Assessing the impact of the I-Deal Life Skills Intervention on the psychosocial wellbeing of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon
This study reports on the findings of an evaluation of I-Deal, a life skills intervention aimed at fostering resilience among early adolescent refugees, using a parallel group randomised controlled trial to compare I-Deal to a structured recreational activity group (SRA). 325 adolescents in Akkar, Lebanon, 74% of them Syrian, were randomised to I-Deal or SRA. Ultimately, the findings do not support the effectiveness of I-Deal. Several factors are considered that may help explain the lack of effect, including the aspects of the intervention design, possible measurement error suggested by low reliabilities on several instruments and a ceiling effect on our primary outcome.
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08/12/2022
Effectiveness of a brief group behavioural intervention on psychological distress in young adolescent Syrian refugees: A randomised controlled trial
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a nonspecialist delivered group-based intervention (Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE)) to improve young adolescents’ mental health. In this single-blind, parallel, controlled trial, Syrian refugees aged 10 to 14 years in Jordan were identified through screening of psychological distress as defined by scores ≥15 on the Paediatric Symptom Scale. Participants were randomised to either EASE or enhanced usual care (EUC) involving referral to local psychosocial services (on a 1:1.6 ratio). It found that the intervention led to reduced internalising problems in young refugee adolescents and was associated with reduced distress and less inconsistent disciplinary parenting in caregivers. Overall, this intervention has the potential as a scalable intervention to mitigate young adolescents’ emotional difficulties in low- and middle income countries.
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04/18/2022
Family systemic psychosocial support for at-risk adolescents in Lebanon: study protocol for a multi-site randomised controlled trial
This study identifies a scarcity of research on effective approaches for preventing and treating psychological distress in this population, particularly in humanitarian settings. Through the development of a brief family systemic psychosocial support intervention to be delivered through existing child protection systems with non-specialist facilitators, this paper outlines the study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of the intervention in Lebanon.
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03/01/2022
A Proof-of-Concept Study of Can’t Wait to Learn: A Digital Game-Based Learning Program for Out-of-School Children in Lebanon
Evaluations of education technology (ed tech) interventions in humanitarian settings are scarce. This paper present a proof-of-concept study of Can’t Wait to Learn (CTWL), a digital game-based learning program that combines an experiential, active learning design with meaningful, competency-appropriate, and contextually relevant content. Here, the feasibility is assessed using the CWTL program to address the current education gap in Lebanon by implementing its mathematics component in basic literacy and numeracy classes with out-of-school children ages 10-14. Findings support the feasibility of using ed tech programs to meet the needs of out-of-school children, as the study saw significant improvements in numeracy, psychological symptoms, and self-esteem; positive reported experiences with the program; increased motivation among the children; and overall ease of implementation.
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07/11/2022
Evaluation of competency-driven training for facilitators delivering a psychological intervention for children in Lebanon: a proof-of-concept study
The mounting evidence for effective delivery of psychological interventions by non-specialists in low- and middle-income settings has led to a rapid expansion of mental health and psychosocial support trainings globally. As such, there is a demand for strategies on how to train and implement these services to attain adequate quality. This study aims to evaluate the added value of a competency-driven approach to training of facilitators for a group intervention for children with severe emotional distress in Lebanon. Overall, it demonstrates the potential of competency-driven training (CDT), using standardised assessment of trainee competencies, to contribute to better training outcomes without extending the duration of training.
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04/20/2022
Scalable psychological interventions for Syrian refugees in Europe and the Middle East: STRENGTHS study protocol for a prospective individual participant data meta-analysis
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) scalable psychological interventions, such as Problem Management Plus (PM+) and Step-by-Step (SbS) are designed to be cost-effective non-specialist delivered interventions to reduce symptoms of common mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The STRENGTHS consortium aims to evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and implementation of the individual format of PM+ and its group version (gPM+), as well as of the digital SbS intervention among Syrian refugees in seven countries in Europe and the Middle East. This is a study protocol for a prospective individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis to evaluate (1) overall effectiveness and cost-effectiveness and (2) treatment moderators of PM+, gPM+ and SbS with Syrian refugees.
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07/15/2022
Supporting parenting among Syrian refugees in Lebanon: a randomized controlled trial of the caregiver support intervention
This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Caregiver Support Intervention (CSI), which emphasizes caregiver wellbeing together with training in positive parenting. Here, a two-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted of the CSI with Syrian refugees in Lebanon, with an intent-to-treat design, from September 2019–December 2020. Overall, it found CSI reduced harsh parenting and caregiver distress, and demonstrated the value of addressing caregiver wellbeing as a pathway to strengthening parenting in adversity. These effects were achieved despite a pandemic-related lockdown that impacted implementation, a severe economic crisis, and widespread social unrest.
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