A Lay-Led Intervention for War and Refugee Related Trauma
Condition: PTSD
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study will examine the initial efficacy and feasibility of a program called Islamic
      Trauma Healing by conducting a small RCT (N = 60) comparing Islamic Trauma Healing in an U.S.
      Somali refugee sample to a waitlist control on key targets of PTSD, depression, somatic
      symptoms, and quality of life. The hypothesis is that those in Islamic Trauma Healing will
      show a greater reduction of PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and somatic symptoms and show
      a greater improvement in quality of well-being than those in the waitlist condition (WL).
    

Detailed description: 
      Islamic Trauma Healing is a lay-led, small-group intervention specifically targeting healing
      mental wounds of trauma within mosques. The six-session intervention combines empirically
      supported exposure-based and cognitive restructuring techniques with Islamic principles. A
      lay-led, group program promotes community building, acknowledges trauma's impact in the
      community, and facilitates wider implementation. The program is not referred to as "therapy"
      or "treatment" for "mental illness." It incorporates community building (e.g., shared tea,
      supplication), integrated Islamic principles that utilize cognitive restructuring through
      discussion of prophet narratives (e.g., faith during hard times, Prophet Job [Ayyub]), and
      exposure therapy through individual prayer, talking to Allah about the trauma. Ultimately,
      the program will follow a self-sustaining train-the-trainer model, led by group leaders,
      empowering lay leaders to facilitate healing in their communities. Further, training time is
      dramatically reduced to two, 4-hour training sessions, focusing on teaching skills of group
      discussion leading rather than training as a lay therapist or mental health counselor.
      Preliminary data from a community sample and from initial men's and women's groups show a
      strong perceived need and match with the Islamic faith, with large effects obtained for pre-
      to post-group across measures (g = 0.76-3.22). Qualitative analysis identified the
      intervention as operating on potential mechanisms of connectedness to the community, faith
      integration, healing, and growth. The preliminary data point to the program being
      well-received and offering a promising model for delivery of a trauma-focused intervention to
      Muslim communities. The next steps are examining Islamic Trauma Healing in a RCT, further
      isolating mechanisms of change, and ascertaining feasibility for wider dissemination studies.
    

Intervention name(s): Islamic Trauma Healing
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): A lay-led, six-session group intervention that combines empirically supported exposure-based and cognitive restructuring techniques with Islamic principles
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: A small RCT (N = 60) will be conducted comparing Islamic Trauma Healing in an U.S. Somali refugee sample to a waitlist control
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: refugee