NCT06324864

START NOW Adapted: Culturally Adapted Version of START NOW

Testing the Effectiveness of the Culturally Adapted Skills Training START NOW to Reduce Mental Health Problems in Adolescent Refugees

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 80 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Prof. Christina Stadler · Network
• Sex: All
• Age: 14 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the effectiveness of the culturally adapted skills-training START NOW in youth migrant populations. The main question it aims to answer is: Is the culturally adapted skills training START NOW more effective than treatment as usual (TAU) in reducing mental health problems in migrants? Participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention group receiving the skills training START NOW Adapted or the control group receiving TAU. Researchers will compare both groups to see if START NOW Adapted is more effective than TAU in reducing mental health problems in migrants.

Detailed description

Over the last few decades, Europe has experienced one of the largest increases in international migration resulting from a combination of natural and man-made disasters. As these disasters cannot be expected to decrease in the future, it is essential to establish optimal healthcare for migrants, especially refugees. Due to several risk factors of their psychological well-being, refugees have higher prevalence rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders compared to the host-country population. Adolescent refugees are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems, as they experience many risk factors associated with their resettlement during crucial phases of their physical and emotional development. However, despite having a greater healthcare requirement than others, adolescent refugees encounter significant barriers in accessing healthcare services. The skills-training START NOW offers a low-threshold opportunity to treat this vulnerable population by promoting general psychological health and resilience. Since effective psychological interventions are rooted in a cultural context and must be consistent with clients' cultural beliefs, there is a need to culturally adapt this existing intervention, which has previously been used with Western populations. Our study therefore aims to develop and evaluate a culturally adapted version of the existing START NOW skills-training. The study is a monocentric, national, confirmatory randomized controlled trial with two arms, namely one intervention and one control group: 1) START NOW Adapted, 2) treatment as usual (TAU). Possible participants taking part in the intervention study are screened for eligibility. For those who are eligible, there will be three assessments: a baseline assessment (t1), a post-treatment assessment (t2), and a 12-weeks follow-up assessment (t3). Randomization into one of the two arms will take place after the baseline assessment (t1) has been conducted. Between t1 and t2, the intervention phase takes place over a period of ten weeks.

Conditions

• Depression
• Depression/Anxiety
• Anxiety
• Adolescent
• Emotion Recognition
• Mental Health
• Resilience,Psychological
• Refugee Health

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	START NOW Adapted	The START NOW skills-training combines aspects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and trauma-sensitive care. Studies in different contexts have shown START NOW's effectiveness in terms of reducing behavioral problems, reducing hospitalization rates, improving mental health functioning and increasing satisfaction rates. The culturally adapted version will be contextually adapted to different cultural backgrounds and the experience of migration. In ten sessions, participants learn about emotions and are introduced to the START NOW skills. These skills, called "SLOW DOWN", "TAKE A STEP BACK", "ACCEPT", "RESPECT" and "TAKE ACTION", are strategies or techniques that can be used to better manage stress and difficult emotions.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-03-13
• Primary completion: 2026-12-01
• Completion: 2026-12-01
• First posted: 2024-03-22
• Last updated: 2026-02-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland