Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37524517›Full record

SynthesisBMJ mental health2023

Self-Help Plus for refugees and asylum seekers: an individual participant data meta-analysis.

Eirini Karyotaki, Marit Sijbrandij, Marianna Purgato, Ceren Acarturk, Daniel Lakin, Della Bailey, Emily Peckham, Ersin Uygun, Federico Tedeschi, Johannes Wancata and 17 more

Open access · diamondAbstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMJ mental health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
6.9field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

27 authors at 12 institutions in 10 countries.

Eirini KaryotakiDepartment of Clinical, Neuro-, and Developmental Psychology and WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands e.karyotaki@vu.nl.ORCID 0000-0002-0071-2599
Marit SijbrandijDepartment of Clinical, Neuro-, and Developmental Psychology and WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Marianna PurgatoWHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3783-8195
Ceren AcarturkDepartment of Psychology, Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey.
Daniel LakinDepartment of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Della BaileyDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
Emily PeckhamDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
Ersin UygunDepartment of Trauma and Disasters, Bilge University, Ankara, Turkey.
Federico TedeschiWHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Johannes WancataClinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Jura AugustinaviciusDepartment of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Kenneth CarswellDepartment of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Maritta VälimäkiDepartment of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Mark van OmmerenDepartment of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Markus KoestersDepartment of Psychiatry II, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
Mariana PopaSchool of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Marx Ronald LekuHealthRight Uganda, Arua, Uganda.
Minna AnttilaDepartment of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Rachel ChurchillCentre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, York, UK.
Ross G WhiteSchool of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Sarah Al-HashimiClinical Division of Social Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Tella LanttaDepartment of Nursing Science, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Teresa AuDepartment of Mental Health and Substance Use, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Thomas KleinDepartment of Psychiatry II, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany.
Wietse A TolXiangya School of Nursing, The Xiangya Evidence-Based Practice and Healthcare Innovation, Central South University, Chang, People's Republic of China.
Pim CuijpersDepartment of Clinical, Neuro-, and Developmental Psychology and WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-5497-2743
Corrado BarbuiWHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine, and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
University of Verona · ITUniversity of York · GBVrije Universiteit Amsterdam · NLWorld Health Organization · CHCentral South University · CNJohns Hopkins University · USMedical University of Vienna · ATQueen's University Belfast · GBUniversität Ulm · DEUniversity of Turku · FIKoç University · TRYüksek İhtisas Üniversitesi · TR

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

questionRefugees and asylum seekers are at high risk of mental disorders due to various stressors before, during and after forceful displacement. The WHO Self-Help Plus (SH+) intervention was developed to manage psychological distress and a broad range of mental health symptoms in vulnerable populations. This study aimed to examine the effects and moderators of SH+ compared with Enhanced Care as Usual (ECAU) in reducing depressive symptoms among refugees and asylum seekers. STUDY SELECTION AND ANALYSIS: Three randomised trials were identified with 1795 individual participant data (IPD). We performed an IPD meta-analysis to estimate the effects of SH+, primarily on depressive symptoms and second on post-traumatic stress, well-being, self-identified problems and functioning. Effects were also estimated at 5-6 months postrandomisation (midterm).

findingsThere was no evidence of a difference between SH+ and ECAU+ in reducing depressive symptoms at postintervention. However, SH+ had significantly larger effects among participants who were not employed (β=1.60, 95% CI 0.20 to 3.00) and had lower mental well-being levels (β=0.02, 95% CI 0.001 to 0.05). At midterm, SH+ was significantly more effective than ECAU in improving depressive symptoms (β=-1.13, 95% CI -1.99 to -0.26), self-identified problems (β=-1.56, 95% CI -2.54 to -0.59) and well-being (β=6.22, 95% CI 1.60 to 10.90).

conclusionsAlthough SH+ did not differ significantly from ECAU in reducing symptoms of depression at postintervention, it did present benefits for particularly vulnerable participants (ie, unemployed and with lower mental well-being levels), and benefits were also evident at midterm follow-up. These results are promising for the use of SH+ in the management of depressive symptoms and improvement of well-being and self-identified problems among refugees and asylum seekers.

Indexed as

RefugeesStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticHealth BehaviorHumansMental HealthPsychological Well-BeingAdult psychiatryDepression & mood disorders

Identifiers

PMID37524517
PMCPMC10391800
OpenAlexW4385412084

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.