Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder by Trained Lay Counsellors in an African Refugee Settlement

University of Konstanz277 enrolled

Overview

The study is a pragmatic trial to study the efficacy of two active methods of psychotherapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in a refugee camp in Africa. Treatment was administered by lay counsellors.

Traumatic stress due to conflict and war causes major mental health problems in many resource-poor countries, especially those coping with displaced populations. There is a lack of intervention research in these populations. Te purpose of this study was to examine whether trained lay counsellors can carry out effective treatment of PTSD in a refugee settlement.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

277

Conditions

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Interventions

Narrative Exposure TherapyBEHAVIORAL

Six session of Narrative Exposure Therapy

Trauma CounsellingBEHAVIORAL

Six sessions of Trauma Counselling, using a variety of skills incl. exposure methods following the skills of the therapist

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder Exclusion Criteria: * Drug abuse * Psychosis * Mental retardation

Locations (1)

Nakivale Refugee Camp

Mbarara, Mbarara, Uganda

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms measured with the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale

Time frame: 9 months

Secondary Outcomes

Expert diagnosis of PTSD established with CIDI interview

Time frame: 9 months

Physical health symptoms assessed with a checklist

Time frame: 9 months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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