Acceptance and Commitment Group Therapy for Unaccompanied Minors

NCT ID: NCT05218031

Last Updated: 2022-02-01

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 70 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-03-01
• Study Completion Date: 2022-12-30

Brief Summary

Unaccompanied minors (UM) are considered to be a highly vulnerable refugee subgroup. Research has indicated that UM experience traumatic events and consequently develop high levels of psychopathology. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the most prevalent diagnosis, followed by depression, anxiety disorders as well as traumatic grief and conduct problems. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) may be particularly suited to the treatment of survivors of trauma and with vulnerable refugee groups such as UM. A 5-week ACT group intervention will be carried out and its feasibility in UM will be explored along with its effect on mental health. The ACT group intervention will be based on a Self-Help Booklet by the World Health Organization "Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide". Following the 5-week ACT group intervention, focus groups with participants will be carried out to examine its acceptability and will be analysed qualitatively, using thematic analysis.

Detailed Description

The hypotheses of the study are as follows:

1. The ACT group intervention will lead to increases in UM psychological well-being and quality of life compared to a waiting-list (WL) control group. This includes improvements in post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep difficulties. (Primary outcomes).

2. The UM receiving the ACT group intervention will demonstrate improvements in their prosocial behaviour compared to the WL control group. (Primary outcomes).

3. At post-intervention, UM receiving the ACT group intervention will have enhanced psychological flexibility compared to the WL control group. It is predicted that there will be decreased experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion, coupled with increases in values-driven committed action, present moment awareness and self-as-context. (Secondary outcomes).

4. At the 1-month and 3-month follow-up time points, the UM receiving the ACT group intervention will have retained the improvements from the treatment (i.e., increased psychological wellbeing, enhanced psychological flexibility, augmented prosocial behaviour) compared to the WL control group. Additionally, it is predicted that UM who completed the ACT group intervention will not only have sustained the benefits observed directly post-intervention but will in fact keep making progress at follow-up time points compared to the WL control group.

From the qualitative analysis, the investigators presume to provide critical insights as to what is perceived acceptable and culturally appropriate treatment for this population.

Conditions

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; Depression; Anxiety Disorders

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

ACT Intervention

5-week ACT Group Intervention based on the Self-Help Booklet by the World Health Organization "Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide".

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

A 90-120 minute 5-week group intervention for unaccompanied minors. Each week there will be a different focus. Week 1: Grounding, Week 2: Unhooking, Week 3: Values, Week 4: Self-compassion, Week 5: Making room for unwanted thoughts and feelings.

Control group

Waiting-list

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

A 90-120 minute 5-week group intervention for unaccompanied minors. Each week there will be a different focus. Week 1: Grounding, Week 2: Unhooking, Week 3: Values, Week 4: Self-compassion, Week 5: Making room for unwanted thoughts and feelings.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Unaccompanied refugee minors living in sheltered accommodation in Cyprus.
• No specific diagnosis required to take part in the study.
• No specific cultural background required.
• Minors who provide consent.

Exclusion Criteria

• Presence of active psychosis.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 13 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Cyprus

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Maria Karekla

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Maria Karekla, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Cyprus

Central Contacts

Maria Karekla, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

mkarekla@ucy.ac.cy

0035722892100

Dafne Morroni, MSc

Role: CONTACT

dmorro01@ucy.ac.cy

0035799798913

Related Links

http://www.ucy.ac.cy/acthealthy/en/

University Clinical Laboratory Website

Other Identifiers

K3_K1_1

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id