Predictors of symptom change in the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers (MEHIRA) study examining the effects of a stepped and collaborative care model - A multicentered rater-blinded randomized controlled trial.

Background: Predictors of symptom improvement are an essential starting point for tailoring psychological treatments to each individual and, in turn, increasing treatment efficacy overall. However, such research regarding refugees/asylum seekers from Arabic-/Farsi-speaking countries is lacking. The current study aimed to characterize predictors for symptom improvement in the Mental Health in Refugees and Asylum Seekers (MEHIRA) study, one of the most extensive multicentered controlled trials on a nationwide stepped and collaborative care model compared to routine German mental health care.

Empowerment group therapy for refugees with affective disorders: results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Background: Against the background of missing culturally sensitive mental health care services for refugees, we developed a group intervention ) for refugees at level 3 within the stratified Stepped and Collaborative Care Model of the project (MEHIRA). We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of the group intervention with its focus on psychoeducation, stress management, and emotion regulation strategies in a culturally sensitive context for refugees with affective disorders compared to treatment-as-usual (TAU).

Method: At level 3 of the MEHIRA project, 149 refugees and asylum seekers with clinically relevant depressive symptoms were randomized to the group intervention or TAU.

Shared sorrow, shared costs: cost-effectiveness analysis of the group therapy approach to treat affective disorders in refugee populations.

Background: Refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) in Germany need tailored and resource-oriented mental healthcare interventions.

Aims: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of group psychotherapy for RAS with moderate depressive symptoms.

Method: This is a cost-effectiveness analysis of group psychotherapy that was embedded in a stratified stepped and collaborative care model (SCCM) from the multicentre randomised controlled MEHIRA trial.

A house is not a home: a network model perspective on the dynamics between subjective quality of living conditions, social support, and mental health of refugees and asylum seekers.

Background: Providing adequate living conditions for forcibly displaced people represents a significant challenge for host countries such as Germany. This study explores refugee mental health's reciprocal, dynamic relationship with post-migration living conditions and social support.

Methods: The study sample included 325 Arabic- or Farsi-speaking asylum seekers and refugees residing in Germany since 2014 and seeking mental health treatment.

Predicting treatment outcomes of the Empowerment group intervention for refugees with affective disorders: Findings from the MEHIRA project.

Background: Research on outcome predictors in the field of transcultural treatment for refugees and asylum seekers (RAS) is scarce. We aimed to evaluate predictors of outcome of a group intervention (Empowerment) for RAS with affective disorders which was incorporated at level three of the stratified stepped-care model within the Mental Health in Refugees and Asylum Seekers (MEHIRA) project.

Methods: A predictor analysis was performed at level three of the MEHIRA project, where 149 refugees with moderate depressive symptoms were treated either with Empowerment or Treatment-as-usual (TAU).

Development of a culturally sensitive Arabic version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.-AR) and validation of the depression module.

Background: Arabic represents one of the most frequently spoken languages worldwide, especially among refugee populations. There is a pressing need for specialized diagnostic tools corresponding to the DSM-5 criteria in Modern Standard Arabic, which can be administered on Arabic speakers in the West and Arab region alike.

Objectives: To develop and validate the culturally-adapted version of the most recent M.

Faith-Based Coping Among Arabic-Speaking Refugees Seeking Mental Health Services in Berlin, Germany: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.

The benefits of faith-based coping or using religious and spiritual beliefs as a stabilizing force for interpreting stressful or distressing events are largely unexplored among the exodus of Arabic-speaking refugee populations from Muslim-majority countries, particularly those resettled in Europe. The present study aimed to explore the manifestation of faith-based coping strategies among Arabic-speaking refugee adults seeking mental healthcare services in Berlin, Germany and explore how favorable faith-based coping strategies can be optimized from a mental health service-delivery and broader integration perspective. A total of 17 qualitative interviews were conducted with Arabic-speaking refugee adults (six females, 11 males) seeking mental health services at the Charité Universitaetsmedizin in Berlin.

Psychotherapy in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI): Preferences and expectations of the Kurdish host community, internally displaced- and Syrian refugee community.

Background And Aim: The Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI) is home to Kurds, internally displaced persons, and Syrian refugees. In the last decades, its inhabitants have witnessed a great deal of political instability, which has led to increased rates of psychological distress. Mental illness contrasts with limited access to and availability of mental health services - and so the treatment gap remains high.

Exploring the Representation of Depressive Symptoms and the Influence of Stigma in Arabic-Speaking Refugee Outpatients.

The number of distressed refugees from the Arab world is relatively high in Germany and other host countries worldwide. For this specific population, substantial challenges and barriers have already been identified that hamper access to Germany's health care system. This study aims to contribute to this line of research by exploring the representation of depressive symptoms, both somatic and psychological, in order to inform clinicians about the most prevalent symptoms reported by Arabic-speaking refugee outpatients.

On Perceived Stress and Social Support: Depressive, Anxiety and Trauma-Related Symptoms in Arabic-Speaking Refugees in Jordan and Germany.

Current literature points toward several challenges in the access to sufficient and effective psychosocial care for Syrian refugees in host settings. This study is a comparative investigation into the relationship between "perceived social stress" and "perceived social support" on three of the most prevalent symptom dimensions in Syrian refugees across two host capitals, Berlin and Amman. Eighty nine Syrians refugees were recruited between January 2017 and March 2018.

[Development of a Culturally Sensitive Version of the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) in Standard Arabic].

Objective: In light of the current humanitarian crises in the Arabic world, a version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) in standard Arabic, enabling a fast and efficient diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, is urgently needed. The aim of the present pilot study was to provide a culturally sensitive translation and adaptation of the MINI to standard Arabic and to undertake first steps towards its validation in a sample of Arab refugees.

Methods: Various experts in the field of psychiatry and psychotherapy, familiar with both Western and Arab cultures, were involved in the multi-level adaption process.

Psychotherapy in Jordan: An Investigation of the Host and Syrian Refugee Community's Perspectives.

Little is known about patient satisfaction, bias, stigma, and the effects of psychotherapy within the Kingdom of Jordan or the Arab world in general. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of both the Jordanian host and refugee community members from the psychotherapeutic services offered at various mental health care settings in Jordan. A sample of 100 patients who received psychosocial expert interventions was recruited between October and December 2017 in Amman, Jordan.

Mental health in refugees and asylum seekers (MEHIRA): study design and methodology of a prospective multicentre randomized controlled trail investigating the effects of a stepped and collaborative care model.

The sudden arrival of culturally diverse asylum seekers and refugees into Germany has created a strong demand for recognizing and appropriately treating those suffering from mental health issues. Due to many systemic, organizational, cultural and socio-linguistic barriers, psychiatric treatment of refugees is posing a major challenge to Germany's mental health care system. Thus, there is a need for alternative models that allow for increased access to adequate, effective and efficient culturally sensitive mental health care services.