Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39344836›Full record

Trial reportEpidemiology and psychiatric sciences2024

Effectiveness of group problem management plus in distressed Syrian refugees in Türkiye: a randomized controlled trial.

C Acarturk, G Kurt, Z İlkkurşun, A M de Graaff, R Bryant, P Cuijpers, D Fuhr, D McDaid, A L Park, M Sijbrandij and 2 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

30 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Trial
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  7. Empowerment group therapy for refugees with affective disorders: results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial.European psychiatry : the journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists · 2023
    Trial
  8. Trial
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Culturally Adapted Mental Health Education Programs for Migrant Populations: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Article
  14. Article
  15. A general framework for fidelity assessment.Frontiers in health services · 2026
    Article
  16. Article
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  18. An Explanatory Framework for Understanding Mental Health Needs of Afghan Refugees Resettled in the Global North.International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie · 2025
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
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

12 authors.

C AcarturkDepartment of Psychology, Koc University, Istanbul, Türkiye.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7093-1554
G KurtSchool of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Z İlkkurşunDepartment of Psychology, Koc University, Istanbul, Türkiye.
A M de GraaffDepartment of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6686-4432
R BryantSchool of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9607-819X
P CuijpersDepartment of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5497-2743
D FuhrDepartment of Health Services Research and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9020-4629
D McDaidCare Policy and Evaluation Centre, Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
A L ParkCare Policy and Evaluation Centre, Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
M SijbrandijDepartment of Clinical, Neuro- and Developmental Psychology, WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Dissemination of Psychological Interventions, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5430-9810
P VentevogelUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Public Health Section, Geneva, Switzerland.
E UygunTrauma and Disaster Mental Health, Istanbul Bilgi University, Istanbul, Türkiye.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsDespite high levels of psychological distress, mental health service use among Syrian refugees in urban settings is low. To address the mental healthcare gap, the World Health Organization developed group problem management plus (gPM+), a scalable psychological intervention delivered by non-specialist peer facilitators. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of gPM+ in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety among Syrian refugees in Istanbul, Türkiye.

methodsA randomized controlled trial was conducted among 368 distressed (Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, K10 > 15) adult Syrian refugees with impaired functioning (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule, WHODAS 2.0 > 16). Participants were recruited between August 2019 and September 2020 through a non-governmental organization providing services to refugees. Participants were randomly allocated to gPM+ and enhanced care as usual (gPM+/E-CAU) (184 participants) or E-CAU only (184 participants). Primary outcomes were symptoms of depression and anxiety (Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-25)) at 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5; PCL-5), functional impairment (WHODAS 2.0), and self-identified problems (psychological outcome profiles).

resultsIntent-to-treat analyses showed no significant effect of gPM+ on symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD and self-identified problems. Yet, there was a significant reduction in functional impairment in gPM+/E-CAU compared to E-CAU at 3-month follow-up (adjusted mean difference 1.66, 95 % CI 0.04, 3.27,

conclusionIn this study in an urban setting in Türkiye, gPM+ did not alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety among Syrian refugees experiencing psychological distress and daily living difficulties. However, participants with higher distress at baseline seemed to benefit from gPM+, but treatment gains disappeared in the long term. Current findings highlight the potential benefit of tailored psychosocial interventions for highly distressed refugees in volatile low-resource settings.

Indexed as

AnxietyDepressionRefugeesStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPsychological DistressPsychotherapy, GroupSyriaTurkeyanxietydepressionpsychological interventionrandomized controlled trialrefugees

Identifiers

PMID39344836
PMCPMC11464952

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Registered trials

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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.