Trial reportBMJ mental health2023
Peer-provided psychological intervention for Syrian refugees: results of a randomised controlled trial on the effectiveness of Problem Management Plus.
Trial report in BMJ mental health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 4 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 50 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Feasibility and Acceptability of Problem Management Plus (PM+) for Prisoners in the Netherlands - a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial
Boosting Refugee Integration Through Psychological Intervention (BRIGHT) - a Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial
Rare Group Problem Management Plus
Boosting Refugee Integration Through Psychological Intervention
Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 84 citations in OpenAlex.
- Psychological interventions for refugees with depression: a systematic literature review.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Cultural Adaptations, Efficacy, and Acceptability of Psychological Interventions for Mental Health in Adults with Refugees and Asylum-Seeker Status: A Systematic Review.Trauma, violence & abuse · 2024Pooled it
- A mixed methods systematic review of mental health self-care strategies for Arabic-speaking refugees and migrants.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Trial
- Effectiveness of peer-delivered Problem Management Plus for Immigrants (PMP-I) in reducing stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Bhutanese adults resettled in Massachusetts, United States: a pilot randomized controlled trial.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2026Trial
- Evaluation of a Guided Chatbot Intervention for Young People in Jordan: Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mental health · 2025Trial
- Effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and positive externalities of integrated chronic care for adults with major depressive disorder in Malawi (IC3D): a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised, controlled trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2024Trial
- The effectiveness of Problem Management Plus at 1-year follow-up for Syrian refugees in a high-income setting.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2024Trial
- Effectiveness of group problem management plus in distressed Syrian refugees in Türkiye: a randomized controlled trial.Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences · 2024Trial
- Effects of a self-guided digital mental health self-help intervention for Syrian refugees in Egypt: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial.PLoS medicine · 2024Trial
- Comparing Mediators and Moderators of Mental Health Outcomes from the Implementation of Group Problem Management Plus (PM+) among Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants and Colombian Returnees in Northern Colombia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Trial
- Effectiveness of a mental health stepped-care programme for healthcare workers with psychological distress in crisis settings: a multicentre randomised controlled trial.BMJ mental health · 2023Trial
- Improving mental health following multiple disasters in Australia: a randomized controlled trial of the Skills for Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) programme.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2023Trial
- Problem Management Plus for improving mental health among earthquake-affected individuals in Türkiye: pilot randomised controlled trial.BJPsych open · 2026Article
- Study protocol of a pilot randomised controlled trial examining massed culturally adapted Problem Management Plus (PM +) in South Africa.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2026Article
- Culturally Adapted Mental Health Education Programs for Migrant Populations: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Adaptation of an intervention for psychological distress in children and adolescents living in urban areas of Sweden - UNITE.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Psychosocial problems, daily functioning and help-seeking behaviour of international migrant workers in the Netherlands: A qualitative study to inform the adaptation of a scalable stepped-care intervention.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
- Implementing scalable face-to-face and digital interventions among forcibly displaced persons from Ukraine in Europe: protocol of The U-RISE Project.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
28 authors at 17 institutions in 7 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe mental health burden among refugees in high-income countries (HICs) is high, whereas access to mental healthcare can be limited.
objectiveTo examine the effectiveness of a peer-provided psychological intervention (Problem Management Plus; PM+) in reducing symptoms of common mental disorders (CMDs) among Syrian refugees in the Netherlands.
methodsWe conducted a single-blind, randomised controlled trial among adult Syrian refugees recruited in March 2019-December 2021 (No. NTR7552). Individuals with psychological distress (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) >15) and functional impairment (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) >16) were allocated to PM+ in addition to care as usual (PM+/CAU) or CAU only. Participants were reassessed at 1-week and 3-month follow-up. Primary outcome was depression/anxiety combined (Hopkins Symptom Checklist; HSCL-25) at 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included depression (HSCL-25), anxiety (HSCL-25), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; PCL-5), impairment (WHODAS 2.0) and self-identified problems (PSYCHLOPS; Psychological Outcomes Profiles). Primary analysis was intention-to-treat.
findingsParticipants (n=206; mean age=37 years, 62% men) were randomised into PM+/CAU (n=103) or CAU (n=103). At 3-month follow-up, PM+/CAU had greater reductions on depression/anxiety relative to CAU (mean difference -0.25; 95% CI -0.385 to -0.122; p=0.0001, Cohen's
conclusionsPM+ effectively reduces symptoms of CMDs among Syrian refugees. A strength was high retention at follow-up. Generalisability is limited by predominantly including refugees with a resident permit. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Peer-provided psychological interventions should be considered for scale-up in HICs.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.