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Fernández Capriles I, Armijos A, Angulo A, Schojan M, Wainberg ML, Bonz AG, Tol WA, Greene MC. Improving Retention in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Interventions: An Analysis of Completion Rates across a Multi-Site Trial with Refugee, Migrant, and Host Communities in Latin America. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024; 21:397. [PMID: 38673310 PMCID: PMC11049853 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21040397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Research on mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions within refugee and migrant communities has increasingly focused on evaluating implementation, including identifying strategies to promote retention in services. This study examines the relationship between participant characteristics, study setting, and reasons for intervention noncompletion using data from the Entre Nosotras feasibility trial, a community-based MHPSS intervention targeting refugee, migrant, and host community women in Ecuador and Panama that aimed to promote psychosocial wellbeing. Among 225 enrolled women, approximately half completed the intervention, with varying completion rates and reasons for nonattendance across study sites. Participants who were older, had migrated for family reasons, had spent more time in the study community, and were living in Panamá (vs. Ecuador) were more likely to complete the intervention. The findings suggest the need to adapt MHPSS interventions to consider the duration of access to the target population and explore different delivery modalities including the role of technology and cellular devices as reliable or unreliable source for engaging with participants. Engaging younger, newly arrived women is crucial, as they showed lower completion rates. Strategies such as consulting scheduling preferences, providing on-site childcare, and integrating MHPSS interventions with other programs could enhance intervention attendance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Fernández Capriles
- Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA;
| | | | | | | | - Milton L. Wainberg
- Department of Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA;
| | - Annie G. Bonz
- HIAS, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA; (M.S.); (A.G.B.)
| | - Wietse A. Tol
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1172 Copenhagen, Denmark;
- Athena Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M. Claire Greene
- Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA;
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Wimer G, Larrea M, Streeter J, Hassan A, Angulo A, Armijos A, Bonz A, Tol WA, Greene MC. Accessibility and Perceived Impact of a Group Psychosocial Intervention for Women in Ecuador: A Comparative Analysis by Migration Status. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024; 21:380. [PMID: 38673293 PMCID: PMC11049989 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21040380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
There is increasing guidance promoting the provision of mental health and psychosocial support programs to both migrant and host community members in humanitarian settings. However, there is a lack of information on the respective experiences and benefits for migrant and host community members who are participating in mental health and psychosocial support programming. We evaluated a community-based psychosocial program for migrant and host community women, Entre Nosotras, which was implemented with an international non-governmental organization in Ecuador in 2021. Data on participant characteristics and psychosocial wellbeing were collected via pre/post surveys with 143 participants, and qualitative interviews were conducted with a subset (n = 61) of participants. All quantitative analyses were conducted in STATA, and qualitative analysis was done in NVivo. Attendance was higher for host community members. Specifically, 71.4% of host community members attended 4-5 sessions, whereas only 37.4% of migrants attended 4-5 sessions (p = 0.004). Qualitative analysis shows that the intervention was less accessible for migrants due to a variety of structural barriers. However, this analysis also demonstrated that both groups of women felt a greater sense of social connectedness after participating in the program and expressed gratitude for the bonds they formed with other women. Some migrant women described negative experiences with the host community because they felt as though they could not confide in host community women and speak freely in front of them. These results underscore how the migratory context influences the implementation of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programs. As humanitarian guidelines continue to emphasize the integration of host community members and displaced persons, it is critical to account for how the same intervention may impact these populations differently.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle Wimer
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA;
| | | | | | - Amir Hassan
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA;
| | | | - Andrea Armijos
- HIAS, Silver Spring, MD 62471, USA; (A.A.); (A.A.); (A.B.)
| | - Annie Bonz
- HIAS, Silver Spring, MD 62471, USA; (A.A.); (A.A.); (A.B.)
| | - Wietse A. Tol
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1172 Copenhagen, Denmark;
| | - M. Claire Greene
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA;
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Greene MC, Wimer G, Larrea M, Mejia Jimenez I, Armijos A, Angulo A, Guevara ME, Vega C, Heard EW, Demis L, Benavides L, Corrales C, de la Cruz A, Lopez MJ, Moyano A, Murcia A, Noboa MJ, Rodriguez A, Solis J, Vergara D, Andersen LS, Cristobal M, Wainberg M, Bonz AG, Tol W. Strategies to improve the implementation and effectiveness of community-based psychosocial support interventions for displaced, migrant and host community women in Latin America. Glob Ment Health (Camb) 2024; 11:e32. [PMID: 38572247 PMCID: PMC10988141 DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2024.29] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
As evidence supporting the effectiveness of mental health and psychosocial interventions grows, more research is needed to understand optimal strategies for improving their implementation in diverse contexts. We conducted a qualitative process evaluation of a multicomponent psychosocial intervention intended to promote well-being among refugee, migrant and host community women in three diverse contexts in Ecuador and Panamá. The objective of this study is to describe the relationships among implementation determinants, strategies and outcomes of this community-based psychosocial intervention. The five implementation strategies used in this study included stakeholder engagement, promoting intervention adaptability, group and community-based delivery format, task sharing and providing incentives. We identified 10 adaptations to the intervention and its implementation, most of which were made during pre-implementation. Participants (n = 77) and facilitators (n = 30) who completed qualitative interviews reported that these strategies largely improved the implementation of the intervention across key outcomes and aligned with the study's intervention and implementation theory of change models. Participants and facilitators also proposed additional strategies for improving reach, implementation and maintenance of this community-based psychosocial intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Claire Greene
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gabrielle Wimer
- Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maria Larrea
- Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ingrid Mejia Jimenez
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - Carolina Vega
- HIAS Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Emily W. Heard
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lina Demis
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lena S. Andersen
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Milton Wainberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Wietse Tol
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Athena Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Greene MC, Bonz AG, Cristobal M, Angulo A, Armijos A, Guevara ME, Vega C, Benavides L, Corrales C, de la Cruz A, Lopez MJ, Moyano A, Murcia A, Noboa MJ, Rodriguez A, Solis J, Vergara D, Bollman EB, Andersen LS, Wainberg M, Tol WA. Mixed-methods evaluation of a group psychosocial intervention for refugee, migrant and host community women in Ecuador and Panamá: Results from the Entre Nosotras cluster randomized feasibility trial. Glob Ment Health (Camb) 2023; 10:e42. [PMID: 37854436 PMCID: PMC10579653 DOI: 10.1017/gmh.2023.37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Community-based psychosocial interventions are key elements of mental health and psychosocial support; yet evidence regarding their effectiveness and implementation in humanitarian settings is limited. This study aimed to assess the appropriateness, acceptability, feasibility and safety of conducting a cluster randomized trial evaluating two versions of a group psychosocial intervention. Nine community clusters in Ecuador and Panamá were randomized to receive the standard version of the Entre Nosotras intervention, a community-based group psychosocial intervention co-designed with community members, or an enhanced version of Entre Nosotras that integrated a stress management component. In a sample of 225 refugees, migrants and host community women, we found that both versions were safe, acceptable and appropriate. Training lay facilitators to deliver the intervention was feasible. Challenges included slow recruitment related to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, high attrition due to population mobility and other competing priorities, and mixed psychometric performance of psychosocial outcome measures. Although the intervention appeared promising, a definitive cluster randomized comparative effectiveness trial requires further adaptations to the research protocol. Within this pilot study we identified strategies to overcome these challenges that may inform adaptations. This comparative effectiveness design may be a model for identifying effective components of psychosocial interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Claire Greene
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Carolina Vega
- HIAS Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - E. Brennan Bollman
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lena S. Andersen
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Milton Wainberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Wietse A. Tol
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Athena Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Armijos A, Bonz AG, Brown FL, Charlet D, Cohen F, Greene MC, Hermosilla S, James LE, Le Roch K. Ensuring equity in mental health and psychosocial support during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Confl Health 2023; 17:7. [PMID: 36804874 PMCID: PMC9938796 DOI: 10.1186/s13031-023-00500-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Populations affected by armed conflict and other humanitarian crises are at elevated risk for mental health problems. While the COVID-19 pandemic has had broadly deleterious effects on livelihoods, economic well-being, and population health worldwide, vulnerable groups have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services during these times to vulnerable groups, especially in low- and middle-income countries and humanitarian settings, is essential. In an effort to comply with the public health response to the pandemic and mitigate COVID-19 transmission, significant implementation adaptations were made to service delivery during the pandemic. This short report describes several strategies to ensure that equity was central to these adaptations and public health responses, and provides recommendations for ensuring continuity of this progress post-pandemic. Examples and key lessons learned are given related to strategies to increase access to MHPSS services, improve meaningful stakeholder engagement, develop and support community networks, and implement community-based psychosocial support groups. They come from diverse settings of Bangladesh, Colombia, Ecuador, and Lebanon. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of preventing and treating MHPSS issues. It also has created opportunities for innovative programming to address overlooked problems, improve the quality of services provided, and increase focus on equity. It is vital that we use the momentum and attention generated around MHPSS services during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to build and improve existing MHPSS services in more equitable ways for vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Annie G. Bonz
- grid.446747.20000 0001 2166 084XHIAS, 1300 Spring Street, Suite 500, Silver Spring, MD 20910 USA
| | - Felicity L. Brown
- grid.487424.90000 0004 0414 0756Research and Development Department, War Child Holland, Helmholtzstraat 61-G, 1098 LE Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Danielle Charlet
- grid.281053.d0000 0004 0375 9266University Research Co., LLC, 5404 Wisconsin Ave Suite 800, Chevy Chase, MD 20815 USA
| | - Flora Cohen
- grid.4367.60000 0001 2355 7002Washington University in St. Louis, Brookings Dr, St. Louis, MO 63130 USA
| | - M. Claire Greene
- grid.21729.3f0000000419368729Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th St, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Sabrina Hermosilla
- grid.214458.e0000000086837370University of Michigan, 400 4th St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103 USA
| | - Leah E. James
- grid.435215.40000 0004 0431 9086Heartland Alliance International, 208 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 1300, Chicago, IL 60604 USA
| | - Karine Le Roch
- grid.452229.a0000 0004 0643 9612Action contre la Faim, 14 Boulevard de Douaumont, 75017 Paris, France
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Greene MC, Bonz A, Isaacs R, Cristobal M, Vega C, Andersen LS, Angulo A, Armijos A, Guevara ME, Benavides L, Cruz ADL, Lopez MJ, Moyano A, Murcia A, Noboa MJ, Rodriguez A, Solis J, Vergara D, Wainberg M, Tol WA. Community-based participatory design of a psychosocial intervention for migrant women in Ecuador and Panama. SSM - Mental Health 2022; 2. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
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Greene MC, Bonz A, Cristobal M, Vega C, Andersen LS, Angulo A, Armijos A, Guevara ME, Benavides L, de la Cruz A, Lopez MJ, Moyano A, Murcia A, Noboa MJ, Rodriguez A, Solis J, Vergara D, Scharf J, Dutt P, Wainberg M, Tol WA. Evaluating the feasibility of a group psychosocial intervention for migrant and host community women in Ecuador and Panamá: protocol for a multi-site feasibility cluster trial. Pilot Feasibility Stud 2022; 8:126. [PMID: 35706068 PMCID: PMC9198203 DOI: 10.1186/s40814-022-01085-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Community- and strengths-based psychosocial interventions are central to mental health and psychosocial support guidelines, but rigorous evidence regarding the effectiveness of these interventions is limited. The complexity and variability that is inherent to many community-based psychosocial interventions requires innovative strategies in order to facilitate the comparability and synthesis across research studies without compromising the fit and appropriateness of interventions to specific study populations and context. Entre Nosotras is a community-based psychosocial intervention developed for migrant and host community women that is designed to be flexible enough to enable integration of external intervention components and adaptable to diverse study contexts and populations. This protocol describes a study that aims to evaluate the appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility of integrating a standardized stress management intervention into Entre Nosotras. METHODS This study will evaluate the appropriateness, acceptability, feasibility, and safety of intervention and research procedures for a cluster randomized comparative effectiveness trial conducted in Ecuador and Panamá with migrant and host community women. In this feasibility trial, we will allocate communities nested within the three study sites to the integrated Entre Nosotras + stress management intervention versus Entre Nosotras alone through stratified randomization. Migrant and host community women residing in these study communities who report low to moderate levels of distress will be allocated to the intervention condition that their community is assigned (n = 220 total). We will collect quantitative measures of psychosocial wellbeing, psychological distress, coping, social support, and functioning from study participants. We will collect quantitative measures of fidelity and facilitator competencies through observation and facilitator self-assessment. Data on appropriateness, acceptability, feasibility, and safety will be gathered from participants and facilitators through quantitative assessments at 0, 5, and 10 weeks post-enrollment and qualitative interviews conducted with all facilitators and a subset of 70 study participants during the post-intervention follow-up period. DISCUSSION Results from this feasibility trial will determine whether a multi-site cluster randomized comparative effectiveness trial of an adaptable community-based psychosocial intervention for migrant and host community women is relevant, acceptable, and feasible. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05130944 . Registered November 23, 2021-retrospectively registered.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Claire Greene
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Lena S Andersen
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jodi Scharf
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City, USA
| | - Priya Dutt
- Program on Forced Migration and Health, Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York City, USA
| | - Milton Wainberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City, USA
| | - Wietse A Tol
- Global Health Section, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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