Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma
Volume 11, Issue 4, 2018, Pages 431-441

Trauma-Informed Psychoeducation for Somali Refugee Youth in Urban Kenya: Effects on PTSD and Psychosocial Outcomes (Article)

Im H.* , Jettner J.F. , Warsame A.H. , Isse M.M. , Khoury D. , Ross A.I.
  • a School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23804, United States
  • b School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1000 Floyd Ave., Richmond, VA 23804, United States
  • c Tawakal Medical Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
  • d Tawakal Medical Centre, Nairobi, Kenya
  • e Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, United States
  • f University Health Services, Princeton UniversityNJ, United States

Abstract

The current study developed and implemented a trauma-informed psychoeducation (TIPE) intervention that is culturally relevant to urban Somali refugees in Nairobi, Kenya. A total of 141 Somali refugee youth completed 12 sessions of peer-led TIPE intervention. A series of pre- and post-tests revealed that TIPE made positive impacts on PTSD symptoms and psychosocial factors, with a differential effect observed according to baseline PTSD symptom report. Participants with high baseline PTSD scores (i.e. above clinical threshold) reported a significant decrease in PTSD symptoms and increase in perceived social support. In the meantime, those with no to mild baseline PTSD symptoms showed an increase in self-awareness of trauma responses and thus PTSD symptom report within the range of normalcy. This research supports the effect of a culturally relevant psychoeducation intervention in addressing the high mental health and psychosocial needs of the marginalized urban Somali refugee community in low resource settings. © 2017, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.

Author Keywords

Social support intervention Peer-led psychoeducation Mental health Refugee trauma

Index Keywords

education social psychology refugee psychoeducation mental health human wellbeing injury violence social support religion juvenile questionnaire prevalence Article psychological resilience awareness posttraumatic stress disorder public health social behavior problem solving
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85057024213&doi=10.1007%2fs40653-017-0200-x&partnerID=40&md5=486d29594d76c30d18155d4f1a5e1438
DOI: 10.1007/s40653-017-0200-x
ISSN: 19361521
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English