1. Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety among Arabic-speaking individuals in Sweden: a pilot randomized controlled trial
- Author
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Tomas Lindegaard, Asala Halaj, Mikael Ludvigsson, Rim Barchini, Felicia Seaton, Fatima Kashoush, Ali Sarkohi, Gerhard Andersson, and Matilda Berg
- Subjects
Male ,050103 clinical psychology ,Immigration ,Pilot Projects ,Anxiety ,law.invention ,0302 clinical medicine ,Randomized controlled trial ,law ,Internet based ,Applied Psychology ,Depression (differential diagnoses) ,Language ,media_common ,Refugees ,Depression ,anxiety ,internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy ,transcultural ,refugee ,05 social sciences ,Cognition ,Middle Aged ,Clinical Psychology ,Treatment Outcome ,language ,population characteristics ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,Psychology ,Internet-Based Intervention ,geographic locations ,Clinical psychology ,Adult ,congenital, hereditary, and neonatal diseases and abnormalities ,Arabic ,Refugee ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Emigrants and Immigrants ,Middle East ,Young Adult ,03 medical and health sciences ,medicine ,Humans ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Aged ,Sweden ,Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ,social sciences ,Tillämpad psykologi ,eye diseases ,language.human_language ,030227 psychiatry - Abstract
Arabic-speaking immigrants and refugees constitute one of the largest immigrant groups in Sweden. Previous research on Arabic-speaking immigrants indicates elevated levels of psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety. The aim of the present pilot study was to examine the efficacy of an internet-delivered cognitive behavioural treatment (ICBT) in an Arabic-speaking immigrant population. The intervention was individually tailored based on self-described problems and consisted of nine modules targeting areas such as depression, anxiety and insomnia. In total, 59 individuals were included and randomized to either an 8-week treatment or wait-list control. Self-reported symptoms of depression on the PHQ-9 were used as primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures of anxiety, stress, insomnia, quality of life and post-traumatic stress were also used. In the intention-to-treat analysis, depressive symptoms were significantly reduced compared to the wait-list control group with a between-group effect at post-treatment of Cohensd= 0.85 [0.29, 1.41]. We also found significant between-group effects for symptoms of insomnia and stress, but not for anxiety, post-traumatic stress or quality of life measures. The results indicate that ICBT is a promising treatment approach for treating symptoms of depression, insomnia and stress, in an Arabic-speaking immigrant population. Further studies with larger samples are warranted. Funding Agencies|Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting; VetenskapsradetSwedish Research Council
- Published
- 2020
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