Feasibility and acceptability of culturally adapted, evidence-informed psychological support on mental health symptoms and violence for conflict-affected populations in Afghanistan: a study protocol.
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| Title: | Feasibility and acceptability of culturally adapted, evidence-informed psychological support on mental health symptoms and violence for conflict-affected populations in Afghanistan: a study protocol. |
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| Authors: | Schwartz, Lyla (AUTHOR), Sijbrandij, Marit (AUTHOR), van der Ven, Els (AUTHOR), Alözkan Sever, Cansu (AUTHOR), Lane, Hannah (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | International Journal of Mental Health. 2026, Vol. 55 Issue 2, p294-313. 20p. |
| Subjects: | Problem solving in adolescence, Psychological distress, Violence, Research methodology evaluation, Mental illness, Statistical sampling, Pilot projects, Randomized controlled trials, Social support |
| Geographic Terms: | Afghanistan |
| Abstract: | A large portion of Afghanistan's population, particularly children and youth, has experienced prolonged conflict, poverty, and displacement, leading to significant psychological distress. As these children grow into adulthood, distress often manifests in mental health symptoms and, at times, in violent behaviors. With limited mental health professionals and strong stigma around mental health in Afghanistan, culturally adapted, evidence-based interventions are urgently needed. This study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted version of Problem Management Plus with an Emotional Processing module (PM+ EP) for reducing psychological distress among young Afghans. A secondary aim is to explore the relationship between mental health symptoms—such as depression, anxiety, aggression, and impaired functioning—and violent behaviors. This pilot randomized controlled trial will include 60 participants aged 16–30 in Afghanistan, all presenting high levels of distress and impaired functioning as measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the PM+ EP intervention (n = 30) or be placed on a waiting list (n = 30). The intervention will be delivered by Afghan facilitators with healthcare or social work backgrounds. Assessments will occur at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1, 4 weeks later), and follow-up (T2, 3 months post-intervention) using self-report measures. A qualitative process evaluation will follow. This study will be the first to assess the feasibility and acceptability of PM+ EP in Afghanistan. It will also contribute insights into how mental health symptoms relate to violent behaviors in conflict-affected youth. HIGHLIGHTS: Mental health needs among conflict-affected youth in Afghanistan remain largely unmet, with limited services available and substantial barriers to accessing care. A culturally adapted, task-shifted PM+ EP intervention is being piloted to assess its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes among distressed youth in a fragile setting. Early findings will contribute to the evidence base for scalable, trauma-informed psychological support in low-resource and conflict-affected environments, with implications for reducing both psychological distress and violent behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of International Journal of Mental Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Header | DbId: pbh DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection An: 194088416 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Feasibility and acceptability of culturally adapted, evidence-informed psychological support on mental health symptoms and violence for conflict-affected populations in Afghanistan: a study protocol. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Schwartz%2C+Lyla%22">Schwartz, Lyla</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sijbrandij%2C+Marit%22">Sijbrandij, Marit</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22van+der+Ven%2C+Els%22">van der Ven, Els</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alözkan+Sever%2C+Cansu%22">Alözkan Sever, Cansu</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lane%2C+Hannah%22">Lane, Hannah</searchLink> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22International+Journal+of+Mental+Health%22">International Journal of Mental Health</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 55 Issue 2, p294-313. 20p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Problem+solving+in+adolescence%22">Problem solving in adolescence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychological+distress%22">Psychological distress</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Violence%22">Violence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Research+methodology+evaluation%22">Research methodology evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mental+illness%22">Mental illness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Statistical+sampling%22">Statistical sampling</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pilot+projects%22">Pilot projects</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Randomized+controlled+trials%22">Randomized controlled trials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+support%22">Social support</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Afghanistan%22">Afghanistan</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: A large portion of Afghanistan's population, particularly children and youth, has experienced prolonged conflict, poverty, and displacement, leading to significant psychological distress. As these children grow into adulthood, distress often manifests in mental health symptoms and, at times, in violent behaviors. With limited mental health professionals and strong stigma around mental health in Afghanistan, culturally adapted, evidence-based interventions are urgently needed. This study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted version of Problem Management Plus with an Emotional Processing module (PM+ EP) for reducing psychological distress among young Afghans. A secondary aim is to explore the relationship between mental health symptoms—such as depression, anxiety, aggression, and impaired functioning—and violent behaviors. This pilot randomized controlled trial will include 60 participants aged 16–30 in Afghanistan, all presenting high levels of distress and impaired functioning as measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Participants will be randomly assigned to receive the PM+ EP intervention (n = 30) or be placed on a waiting list (n = 30). The intervention will be delivered by Afghan facilitators with healthcare or social work backgrounds. Assessments will occur at baseline (T0), post-intervention (T1, 4 weeks later), and follow-up (T2, 3 months post-intervention) using self-report measures. A qualitative process evaluation will follow. This study will be the first to assess the feasibility and acceptability of PM+ EP in Afghanistan. It will also contribute insights into how mental health symptoms relate to violent behaviors in conflict-affected youth. HIGHLIGHTS: Mental health needs among conflict-affected youth in Afghanistan remain largely unmet, with limited services available and substantial barriers to accessing care. A culturally adapted, task-shifted PM+ EP intervention is being piloted to assess its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes among distressed youth in a fragile setting. Early findings will contribute to the evidence base for scalable, trauma-informed psychological support in low-resource and conflict-affected environments, with implications for reducing both psychological distress and violent behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of International Journal of Mental Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=194088416 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1080/00207411.2025.2595363 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 20 StartPage: 294 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Problem solving in adolescence Type: general – SubjectFull: Psychological distress Type: general – SubjectFull: Violence Type: general – SubjectFull: Research methodology evaluation Type: general – SubjectFull: Mental illness Type: general – SubjectFull: Statistical sampling Type: general – SubjectFull: Pilot projects Type: general – SubjectFull: Randomized controlled trials Type: general – SubjectFull: Social support Type: general – SubjectFull: Afghanistan Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Feasibility and acceptability of culturally adapted, evidence-informed psychological support on mental health symptoms and violence for conflict-affected populations in Afghanistan: a study protocol. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Schwartz, Lyla – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Sijbrandij, Marit – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: van der Ven, Els – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Alözkan Sever, Cansu – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Lane, Hannah IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 06 Text: 2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00207411 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 55 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: International Journal of Mental Health Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
