Step-by-step: WHO digital mental health intervention effective in reducing depression among Syrian refugees in Lebanon
A randomised controlled trial was conducted among Syrians suffering from depression and impaired functioning in Lebanon
Abstract
This study finds Step-by-Step, a new digital mental health intervention, developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with the Ministry of Public Health Lebanon and other partners, to be effective in reducing depression among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
An R2HC-funded randomised controlled trial was conducted among Syrians suffering from depression and impaired functioning in Lebanon. It found that people who received the digital intervention with remote guidance from trained non-specialist helpers were significantly less depressed and had significantly better functioning after the intervention compared with those who received enhanced usual care in the control group. People who received Step-by-Step also showed improvements in symptoms of anxiety, post-traumatic stress, well-being and personal problems, with all improvements maintained at 3-month follow-up.
Based on these results and results of a parallel trial conducted with other populations living in Lebanon, Lebanon’s National Mental Health Programme have scaled up the intervention nationally so that it is accessible to all adults in the country.
This research was supported by the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme
Citation
Cuijpers P, Heim E, Abi Ramia J, Burchert S, Carswell K, Cornelisz I, et al. (2022) Effects of a WHO-guided digital health intervention for depression in Syrian refugees in Lebanon: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS Med 19(6): e1004025. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1004025