Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42493861›Full record

Trial reportEpidemiology and psychiatric sciences2026

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.

Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar, Holly Laws, Christopher R Martell, Shan Rai, Razu Ramdam, Jerrold S Meyer, Elizabeth R Bertone-Johnson, Cynthia S Jacelon, Steven D Hollon

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

9 authors.

Kalpana Poudel-TandukarElaine Marieb College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amhersthttps://ror.org/0072zz521, Amherst, MA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6322-738X
Holly LawsDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
Christopher R MartellDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
Shan RaiBhutanese Christian Society of Western Massachusetts, Westfield, MA, USA.
Razu RamdamBhutanese Christian Society of Western Massachusetts, Westfield, MA, USA.
Jerrold S MeyerDepartment of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
Elizabeth R Bertone-JohnsonDepartment of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA.
Cynthia S JacelonElaine Marieb College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amhersthttps://ror.org/0072zz521, Amherst, MA, USA.
Steven D HollonDepartment of Psychology, Vanderbilt Universityhttps://ror.org/02vm5rt34, Nashville, TN, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsRefugees bear the highest burden of mental health issues; however, they often underuse available mental health services. Interventions aimed at those with diagnosed conditions frequently do little to prevent the onset of disorders. Problem Management Plus for Immigrants (PMP-I) is a prevention intervention adapted from the World Health Organization's Problem Management Plus (PMP). PMP-I includes psychoeducation, problem-solving, behavioural activation, social support and networking, and mind-body exercises. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the impact of PMP-I on mental, social and emotional well-being outcomes among Bhutanese refugees resettled in Massachusetts.

methodsBhutanese individuals aged 18 or older who had resettled in Massachusetts and scored ≤14 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were randomly assigned to two groups: PMP-I (

resultsAll 232 participants recruited (116 families) were retained throughout the project. The intervention group evidenced a significantly greater decrease than the control group at both 6-week and 3-month post-intervention assessments on the primary outcomes of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptom scores. Similarly, the intervention group demonstrated significantly higher scores at both the 6-week and 3-month periods after the intervention compared to the control group on measures of coping, family conflict resolution, self-efficacy, family satisfaction and social networking with large effect sizes (Cohen's

conclusionsThe PMP-I improved the mental, social and emotional well-being of Bhutanese adults (PHQ-9 score ≤ 14) resettled in Massachusetts. Peer-delivered, family-centred PMP-I offers a significant public health benefit; however, a large-scale, RCT involving diverse refugee groups is necessary to replicate its success nationwide and beyond.

Indexed as

AnxietyDepressionEmigrants and ImmigrantsPeer GroupRefugeesStress, PsychologicalAdaptation, PsychologicalAdolescentAdultBhutanCoping SkillsFemaleHumansMaleMassachusettsMiddle Agedbehaviour therapycommunity mental healthcontrolled trialdepressionlay counsellorsrefugeesstrength-based interventionstress

Identifiers

PMID42493861
PMCPMC13420154

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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.