A behavioral intervention for war-affected youth in Sierra Leone: a randomized controlled trial

Theresa S Betancourt; Ryan McBain; Elizabeth A Newnham; Adeyinka M Akinsulure-Smith; Robert T Brennan; John R Weisz; Nathan B Hansen

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2014.09.011

A behavioral intervention for war-affected youth in Sierra Leone: a randomized controlled trial

J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014 Dec;53(12):1288-97. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2014.09.011. Epub 2014 Oct 2.

Authors

Theresa S Betancourt¹, Ryan McBain², Elizabeth A Newnham³, Adeyinka M Akinsulure-Smith⁴, Robert T Brennan⁵, John R Weisz⁶, Nathan B Hansen⁷

Affiliations

¹ Harvard School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA. Electronic address: Theresa_Betancourt@harvard.edu.
² François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University and the Harvard School of Public Health.
³ The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, and the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.
⁴ City College of the City University of New York.
⁵ FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.
⁶ Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard Medical School.
⁷ College of Public Health at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Abstract

Objective: Youth in war-affected regions are at risk for poor psychological, social, and educational outcomes. Effective interventions are needed to improve mental health, social behavior, and school functioning. This randomized controlled trial tested the effectiveness of a 10-session cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)-based group mental health intervention for multisymptomatic war-affected youth (aged 15-24 years) in Sierra Leone.

Method: War-affected youth identified by elevated distress and impairment via community screening were randomized (stratified by sex and age) to the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI) (n = 222) or to a control condition (n = 214). After treatment, youth were again randomized and offered an education subsidy immediately (n = 220) or waitlisted (n = 216). Emotion regulation, psychological distress, prosocial attitudes/behaviors, social support, functional impairment, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were assessed at pre- and postintervention and at 6-month follow-up. For youth in school, enrollment, attendance, and classroom performance were assessed after 8 months. Linear mixed-effects regressions evaluated outcomes.

Results: The YRI showed significant postintervention effects on emotion regulation, prosocial attitudes/behaviors, social support, and reduced functional impairment, and significant follow-up effects on school enrollment, school attendance, and classroom behavior. In contrast, education subsidy was associated with better attendance but had no effect on mental health or functioning, school retention, or classroom behavior. Interactions between education subsidy and YRI were not significant.

Conclusion: YRI produced acute improvements in mental health and functioning as well as longer-term effects on school engagement and behavior, suggesting potential to prepare war-affected youth for educational and other opportunities. Clinical trial registration information-Trial of the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI); http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01684488.

Keywords: intervention; mental health; randomized controlled trial; war-affected; youth.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / methods*
Female
Humans
Male
Mental Disorders / etiology
Mental Disorders / therapy*
Sierra Leone
Treatment Outcome
Warfare*
Young Adult

Associated data

ChiCTR/NCT01684488
ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT01684488

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data

Grants and funding