Lending a Hand to Our Future: PTSD in Refugee Children and Youth

NCT02334566 | Terminated

• 1 other identifier: 06705
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 588
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Immigrant and refugee children and youth are the fastest growing segment of Canadian society, but their mental health is too often overlooked even though their high rates of symptoms are increasingly of concern. These children and youth face the same developmental challenges as other children, but migration and resettlement amplify challenges and also create additional risks. Although a literature about the effects of immigrant family life on the mental health of children exists, very little research has examined the specific extent and implications of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among refugee children and youth. In addition, the best practice intervention strategies that most optimally support their mental health difficulties have not been evaluated. This study investigates the effectiveness of a treatment intervention in a sample of refugee children: Narrative Exposure Therapy or NET and KIDNET (developed for younger children), selected due to their documented superiority relative to other forms of treatment for children and youth with PTSD.

Conditions

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Keywords

PTSD; Refugee children mental health; community health care

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in UCLA-PTSD-RI (UCLA-Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-Reaction Index)

  Although treatment interventions exist for PTSD, the many unique challenges faced by refugee populations are often overlooked. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET or KIDNET), designed to restore agency and provide symptom relief, is one intervention for PTSD treatment that can indicate positive outcomes for refugee populations.

  week 1, week 12, week 24, week 48, week 64

Study Arms (2)

NET TX

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral intervention for PTSD (NET/KIDNET) with 8-12 sessions administered on a weekly basis.

Behavioral: NET TX

Delayed TX

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Behavioral intervention for PTSD (NET/KIDNET) with 8-12 sessions administered on a weekly basis, started following a three-month wait period

Behavioral: NET TX

Interventions

NET TX BEHAVIORAL

Intervention procedures are a behavioral intervention (NET \& KIDNET) with 8-12 sessions administered on a weekly basis.

Delayed TX; NET TX

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 7 Years - 18 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• All referrals, to the school-based health centers (SBHC) at Parkdale and Sprucecourt schools, through the school support team (SST), individual teachers, parents or community contacts.
• SBHC children and youth between the ages of 7 and 16 years of age
• All referrals to Covenant House for youth between 16 and 18 years of age (up to 19th birthday)
• Assessed to qualify for either Refugee status or Immigrant status, and who request participation and consent to research procedures
• Participants with a score of 15 or higher on UCLA PTSD-RI and are case identified (diagnosed) by paediatricians for PTSD

You may not qualify if:

• Participants with a score on the UCLA-PTSD-RI lower than 15.
• Participants with a score on the UCLA-PTSD-RI higher than 15 and diagnosed with PTSD by paediatrician
• Participants identified as native born
• Participants with known (previously identified) disorders that impact on communication and/or cognition, such as Developmental Disability, Autism, Communication Disability.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Unity Health Toronto: lead
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR): collaborator

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• Morton Beiser, M.D.

  Unity Health Toronto

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 30, 2014
• First Posted: January 8, 2015
• Study Start: August 1, 2015
• Primary Completion: June 1, 2017
• Study Completion: June 1, 2017
• Last Updated: February 4, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share