Clinical trial NCT01624987: Intervention to Support the Reintegration of Former Combatants and Soldiers
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: PHASE2
PHASE3
Conditions: Appetitive Aggression
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Keywords: Treatment of ex-combatants
FORNET for ex-combatants
Appetitive Aggression
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Lead sponsor: University of Konstanz
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: World Bank
First posted: 2012-06-21
Enrollment: 100
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 16
Maximum age (years): 70
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The project aims to investigate if trauma-related disorders and appetitive aggression can be reduced in former ex-combatants in DR Congo when a specific intervention (Narrative Exposure Therapy for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation, FORNET) is delivered by trained local personnel (phase 1). In a second step, the project aims to investigates the treatment success if this specific therapy is carried out by local personnel who have been trained by other local personnel ("train the trainer", phase 2) under the supervision of experts of the University of Konstanz.

Detailed description: The reintegration of former child soldiers and ex-combatants is a big challenge in war-torn countries. Former child soldiers and ex-combatants often suffer from mental health problems and show enhanced levels of aggression. The present study focuses on the reduction of appetitive aggression and the improvement of mental health in former child soldiers and ex-combatants in DR Congo.

The project consists of four steps:

1. Training of selected DDRRR personnel(first generation)in FORNET (a variant of Narrative Exposure Therapy to treat trauma-related disorders and to reduce appetitive aggression)by experts from the University of Konstanz.
2. Treatment phase 1: Intervention will be carried out by therapists of the first generation. The trained therapists of the first generation will be supervised from the experts of the University of Konstanz.
3. Training of a second generation of DDRRR personnel in FORNET by the therapists of the first generation.
4. Treatment phase 2: Intervention will be carried out by therapists of the second generation. The trained therapists of the second generation will be supervised from the therapists of the first generation.

The study is conceived as a randomized controlled study. In phase 1 and in phase 2, study participants will be randomized allocated to the intervention group (FORNET) and the control group (no intervention). The treatment effect will be measured by pre-post and 6-months follow-up evaluations.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Ex-combatants who live in a transit camp in Goma, Congo.

Exclusion Criteria:

Primary outcomes:
measure: Appetitive Aggression (Appetitive Aggression Scale)
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale, PDS)
timeFrame: 6 months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Functionality (Work and Social Adjustment Scale)
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Substance abuse
timeFrame: 6 months
measure: Re-integration questionnaire
timeFrame: 6 months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Goma
country: Congo
facility: Transit Camp for ex-combatants/Reintegration camp for ex-combatants (ETN)
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Konstanz
name: Thomas Elbert, Prof. Dr.
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References: