Supported Employment for Refugees

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Humanitarian crises related to the Syrian conflict have led to a large increase in refugees in Europe in the recent years. There is need for effective approaches to increase labor market participation among refugees, and to reduce the impact of unfavorable exclusion mechanisms among this group. The Supported Employment for Refugees (the SER-trial) is a randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of Supported Employment (SE) for newly arrived refugees who are involved in the mandatory introduction program provided for all refugees in Norway. SE is an intervention that has proved effective in promoting competitive employment among patients with severe mental illness in over twenty international randomized controlled trials, and is currently being evaluated for various new patient groups in ongoing trials. The SER-trial is however the first trial to evaluate the effect of SE for the target group of refugees (who may or may not have mental illness).

Official Title
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Supported Employment for Refugees

Conditions
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Refugees

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Supported Employment (SE)
* Behavioral: Treatment as usual (TAU)


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Refugees in the city of Bergen, Norway Expressed desire to work Able to have a simple conversation in Norwegian or English Exclusion Criteria: No expressed desire to work Unable to have a simple conversation in Norwegian or English
Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Supported Employment (SE)<br>Follow-up with Supported Employment (SE), provided by a job specialist trained in the eight evidence-based principles of Individual Placement and Support (IPS). The SE intervention is provided in addition to the mandatory introduction program for refugees in Norway (treatment as usual). | Behavioral: Supported Employment (SE)<br>* Supported Employment<br>|
| Active Comparator: Treatment as usual (TAU)<br>Follow-up with treatment as usual, which involves participation in the mandatory introduction program provided for all refugees in Norway. The program includes training in Norwegian language and culture, as well as the various traditional employment schemes offered by the Norwegian labor and welfare Administration. | Behavioral: Treatment as usual (TAU)<br>* Treatment as usual<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Competitive employment (register data and log books) | Competitive employment will be assessed using register data from the State Register of Employers and Employees. Analyses will be carried out using both intention-to-treat and per protocol analyses. For per protocol analyses, log books from the service providers in the intervention group will be used. | 12 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Acculturation (survey data) | Acculturation will be assessed using the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA) | 12 months | 
| Psychological distress (survey data) | Psychological distress will be assessed using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) | 12 months | 
| Posttraumatic stress (survey data) | Posttraumatic stress will be assessed using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) | 12 months | 
| Global well-being (survey data) | Global well-being will be assessed using a 10-point Cantril Ladder Scale | 12 months | 
| Health-related quality of life (survey data) | Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the Euro-Qol Visual Analog Scale | 12 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Refugees, Supported Employment, Individual Placement and Support, Employment, Vocational Rehabilitation, Mental Health