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Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
in Refugees: Latest Research Studies
Dr Angela Nickerson Senior Lecturer Director, Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program School of Psychology, UNSW Australia [email protected]
Posttraumatic stress disorder in refugees
Guidelines for treatment of PTSD
Guidelines for treatment of PTSD
Australian Guidelines for the Treatment of Acute Stress Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Phoenix Australia, 2013
What is unique about refugee trauma?
What do we already know?
oRelatively small body of research on efficacious treatments for PTSD in refugees
o Studies have tended to focus on o Trauma-focused interventions
oMulti-modal approaches
o Emerging evidence for trauma-focused interventions
oBUT – methodological limitations prevent strong conclusions
Research Evidence: An Update oA number of new studies have been conducted in past four years
o Emphasis has been on trauma-focused therapy o Narrative Exposure Therapy
o Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
o Imagery Rescripting
oSeveral qualitative and theoretical papers detailing challenges associated with treating PTSD in refugees
Narrative Exposure Therapy oDeveloped by Schauer, Neuner & Elbert (2013)
oDerived from Testimony Psychotherapy o Lira and Weinstein (Cienfuegos and Minelli, 1983)
oTested with Bosnian refugees in Boston (Weine et al., 1998)
oNET has demonstrated efficacy in oMultiple settings (Sudanese, Somali and Rwandan refugees in
Uganda; asylum-seekers, former political prisoners)
o Across delivery modes (doctoral-level therapists from Europe, lay clinicians in refugee camps) o See Robjant & Fazel, 2010 and Morkved et al 2014 Clin Psych Rev
Narrative Exposure Therapy o Elements oPsychoeducation
o Derive timeline
o Imaginal exposure therapy
o Develop narrative
o Plan for use of narrative (if client wishes)
oMechanisms by which NET may work oEmotional processing
o Integration of memories into autobiographical memory base
oRedress?
Brief NET for PTSD in Iraqi Refugees o Participants were 63 Iraqi refugees resettled in Michigan, USA
oParticipants were randomly assigned to brief NET (3 sessions) or waitlist control condition (2:1 ratio) o60 to 90 minute sessions oArabic-speaking therapists
oAssessment at baseline, 2-month and 4- month follow up
oHigh participation (95%) and retention (98%) rates
1.8
2
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.8
3
Baseline 2 months 4 months
PTSD Symptoms
NET WLC
*
Brief NET for PTSD in Iraqi Refugees
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
Baseline 2 months 4 months
Posttraumatic Growth
NET WLC
Brief NET for PTSD in Iraqi Refugees
* *
Brief NET for PTSD in Iraqi Refugees o Key findings o PTSD symptoms -Medium between-groups effect
size (d = 0.32)
o NET results in significantly greater improvement in PTG
oLimitations oSelf-report measures as follow-up assessment
oNo treatment control group
oImplications oDosage of intervention likely to be important
o Impact of post-migration environment
oUtility of measuring positive outcomes as well as symptom reductions
Imagery rescripting oImagine traumatic experience and an intervention that changes course of events
o Evidence that decreases non-fear emotions such as shame, guilt and anger
o Has been previously added to imaginal exposure (Arntz et al., 2007; Kindt et al., 2007)
o Authors propose will increase tolerability of intervention and reduce drop-outs
oAdaptation in current study so intervention was before trauma took place (but after anticipation of trauma)
Imagery rescripting for PTSD in refugees o Participants were 10 refugees from a variety of backgrounds (e.g., Iraq, Turkey, Kosovo, Afghanistan)
o Concurrent multiple baseline design was employed oParticipants randomly assigned to 5
different baseline lengths (6 to 10 weeks), oNext, 5 weeks of supportive treatment
given to control for nonspecific effects
oTreatment o10 sessions of imagery rescripting
Imagery rescripting for PTSD in refugees o Results oNo significant change during baseline,
exploratory or follow-up periods in PTSD symptoms
oSignificant reduction in PTSD symptoms during treatment period (within-subjects effect size = 1.6)
oSignificant reduction in depression symptoms during treatment period (within-subjects effect size = 0.9)
Imagery rescripting for PTSD in refugees oFindings suggest imagery rescripting may be promising in reducing trauma-related symptoms in refugees
oHowever, limitations associated with study make it difficult to draw strong conclusions oAll participants already in treatment
oMeasures taken by treating therapist (with 1 day training)
oDiscussion of trauma during exploratory phase
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
oDeveloped by Shapiro (2001)
o Client recalls traumatic memories while engaging in eye movements or bilateral stimulation (e.g., tapping)
o Has been previously piloted with refugees seeking asylum in Netherlands (Ter Heide et al., 2011)
o No systematic study in refugees
EMDR for PTSD in Syrian refugees oParticipants were randomly selected Syrian refugees with PTSD living in camp in Turkey (N = 29)
oRandomly assigned to EMDR or waitlist control group
oBlind outcome assessments
oEMDR intervention components o Formulation; rationale; cognitive therapy;
desensitization; body scan; closure (imagine holy light coming from heaven)
oMaximum of 7 90 minute sessions oDelivered by Turkish psychologist with Syrian
interpreters
EMDR for PTSD in Syrian refugees
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
BL Posttreatment 1 month FU
PTSD symptoms
EMDR WLC
*
EMDR for PTSD in Syrian refugees
0
5
10
15
20
25
BL Posttreatment
Depression symptoms
EMDR WLC
*
EMDR for PTSD in Syrian refugees o Findings o EMDR resulted in significant decreases in PTSD and
depression in Syrian refugees
oLimitations o No treatment control group
o Absence of long-term follow-up
o Not treatment-seeking sample
oCultural considerations o Stigma - treatment carried out in kindergarten
building – research team provided childcare
o Treatment fidelity – no participant agreed to audiotaping of session (supervisor observed at least 1 session with each therapist)
Methodological Challenges o Quality of studies o Control group important, but better to have active
control condition
o Small sample sizes
o Absence of long-term follow-up assessments
o Non-blind assessments
o Therapists
o PTSD measurement
oHowever…… o Challenges of conducting this research must be
acknowledged
o Studies are improving overall
Theoretical challenges o We still don’t have a good understanding of the unique psychological impact of the refugee experience oProlonged, repeated trauma
oDisplacement
oPost-migration stressors
oMore research needed on core mechanisms underlying refugee mental health
o Lead to development of tailored interventions for refugees and asylum-seekers in a variety of contexts
Emotion Regulation in Refugees o Studies investigating how refugees regulate their emotions following different types of traumatic experiences
o In collaboration with STARTTS, SSI and other refugee service providers in Sydney
o Evidence that o Torture profoundly affects the strategies that are used,
and how effective they are
o Cognitive reappraisal reduces intrusive memories and trauma-related distress in refugees with PTSD
oMechanistic studies form building-blocks for interventions
Where to from here? o High-quality randomized controlled trials oActive control groups
oBlind assessments
oRandomization
oManualized interventions
o Follow-up assessments
o Research into specific mechanisms underpinning refugee mental health o Translation of these findings to treatment
interventions that are tailored to the refugee experience
Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
in Refugees: Latest Research Studies
Dr Angela Nickerson Senior Lecturer Director, Refugee Trauma and Recovery Program School of Psychology, UNSW Australia [email protected]