American University of Beirut

No Lost Generation summary of the study can be found here. 

Webinar: Results of the t-CETA Study. In this webinar, broadcast on February 24 2021, we introduced the key elements of t-CETA and shared our first-hand experience of delivering it in Lebanon. We presented qualitative and quantitative research findings on the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of the programme, and shared free resources that were developed as part of the project. You can access the Slides from the t-CETA Webinar [PDF 3,448KB] here and watch a recording of the webinar here. 

Guidance on delivering psychological treatment to children via telephone. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the immediate necessity for many practitioners to deliver psychological treatment through phone or other remote technologies. Here we provide a guidance document that sets out basic principles for the delivery of psychological therapy to children via telephone, drawing on our recent experience of adapting an existing treatment programme to phone-delivery among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon. It is aimed at mental health services that are adapting therapies to phone-delivery and is especially relevant for those working in refugee or other low resource settings. Although we propose several specific solutions, each service must adapt these further to create protocols that are appropriate to their specific setting, population, and type of therapy. This guidance document was developed by Prof Michael Pluess and Dr Fiona McEwen (Queen Mary University of London), Dr Tania Bosqui (American University of Beirut), Nicolas Chehade (Médecins du Monde), and Dr Laura Murray and Stephanie Skavenski (Johns Hopkins University) and can be accessed here: QMUL_Guidance for Delivering Psychological Treatment to Children. 

Mechanisms of change of t-CETA. Although the evidence-base for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) interventions in humanitarian settings is growing rapidly, their mechanisms of change remain poorly understood despite the potential to improve the effectiveness and reach of interventions. This study aimed to explore the mechanisms or factors that drive change in a modular transdiagnostic telephone-delivered mental health intervention, Common Elements Treatment Approach (t-CETA). Participants were Syrian refugee children and adolescents living in tented settlements in Lebanon. We used a multiple n = 1 design, drawing on secondary data from 9 children who completed t-CETA during a pilot randomized controlled trial. Children with historical war-related trauma were more likely to show significant improvement across symptom clusters by the end of treatment compared to children presenting with depression related to daily living conditions. Children also showed fluctuating symptoms during the early stages of treatment (engagement and cognitive restructuring) but significant decline in symptoms after the trauma module (prolonged imaginal exposure) and depression module (behavioral activation). Salient external life events identified were starting or dropping out of school, working, change in living conditions, family conflict and the October Revolution; and interpersonal factors of parental engagement (with or without full attendance) and counsellor skills in building rapport were also identified as having an impact on treatment success. The full paper can be found here.