Arabic-speaking immigrants and refugees constitute one of the largest immigrant groups in Sweden. Previous research on Arabic-speaking immigrants indicates elevated levels of psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety. The aim of the present pilot study was to examine the efficacy of an internet-delivered cognitive behavioural treatment (ICBT) in an Arabic-speaking immigrant population. The intervention was individually tailored based on self-described problems and consisted of nine modules targeting areas such as depression, anxiety and insomnia. In total, 59 individuals were included and randomized to either an 8-week treatment or wait-list control. Self-reported symptoms of depression on the PHQ-9 were used as primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures of anxiety, stress, insomnia, quality of life and post-traumatic stress were also used. In the intention-to-treat analysis, depressive symptoms were significantly reduced compared to the wait-list control group with a between-group effect at post-treatment of Cohen’s = 0.85 [0.29, 1.41]. We also found significant between-group effects for symptoms of insomnia and stress, but not for anxiety, post-traumatic stress or quality of life measures. The results indicate that ICBT is a promising treatment approach for treating symptoms of depression, insomnia and stress, in an Arabic-speaking immigrant population. Further studies with larger samples are warranted.
About The Expert
Tomas Lindegaard
Felicia Seaton
Asala Halaj
Matilda Berg
Fatima Kashoush
Rim Barchini
Mikael Ludvigsson
Ali Sarkohi
Gerhard Andersson
References
PubMed