Search results

Abstract
Background
Mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) is increasingly considered vital for addressing the needs of displaced communities. The mental health of young people in Lebanon, including members of the host community and refugees, has been severely affected by multiple crises. Physical activity (PA) is an effective means for enhancing mental health, but evidence of PA's impact on mental health among forcibly displaced populations is still emerging and often varies widely across studies.

Method
In this waitlist-controlled study, we examined the effectiveness of an 8-week psychosocial bouldering group intervention offered by the nonprofit organization ClimbAID on psychological well-being, distress, self-efficacy, and social cohesion in a group of mostly Syrian refugee adolescents residing in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. The intervention consisted of 8 sessions and took place once a week for 2 h in a group of up to 12 adolescents with 2 trained facilitators and up to 2 volunteers, supervised by a climbing instructor and a social worker. Multilevel analyses were performed for all outcomes.

Results
233 people were included in the study. The dropout rate was approximately 33%. The IG improved significantly more than the waitlist group in terms of overall mental well-being and psychological distress. Group allocation was a significant predictor of improvements in mental well-being and psychological distress and showed a trend toward predicting self-efficacy. There was no positive impact of the intervention on social cohesion.

Conclusions
Even in complex humanitarian settings of forced displacement, a psychosocial bouldering intervention reduces psychological distress and increases well-being in a mixed group of host and refugee youth in Bekaa, Lebanon.

Trial registration
Prospectively registered with ISRCTN 13005983, registered April 1st, 2022.

Altres ajuts: C. E. Teunissen PhD received grants from the European Commission, the Dutch Research Council (ZonMW), Association of Frontotemporal Dementia/Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, Alzheimer Netherlands. M. Otto MD PhD received funding from the EU, German ministry of science and technology (KNDD/FTLD) the Baden-Wuertemberg Foundation. Sebastiaan Engelborghs MD, PhD received funding from the EU/EFPIA Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking (EMIF grant number 115372); the University Research Fund of the University of Antwerp; the Flemish Impulse Financing of Networks for Dementia Research (VIND); and Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). Sanna-Kaisa Herukka MD, PhD received funding from Finnish Medical Foundation and Finnish Medical Society Duodecim. Sylvain Lehmann MD, PhD has received support from "France Alzheimer", the National French Alzheimer effort ("Plan Alzheimer"). Piotr Lewczuk MD, PhD has received support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under EMIF grant agreement number 115372, resources of which are composed of financia contributions from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) and EFPIA companies' in kind contribution. Hayrettin Tumani MD received research support from Hertie-Stiftung, BMBF, University of Ulm and Landesstiftung BW. Martin R. Turner MBBS, PhD is supported by the Medical Research Council & Motor Neurone Disease Association Lady Edith Wolfson Senior Clinical Fellowship (MR/K01014X/1). MM Verbeek PhD received grants from Alzheimer Nederland (number 14502) and the CAVIA project, which has been made possible by ZonMW (number 733050202). The CAVIA project is part of 'Memorabel', the research and innovation programme for dementia, as part of the Dutch national 'Deltaplan for Dementia': zonmw.nl/dementiaresearch. The CAVIA project is a consortium of Radboudumc, LUMC, Erasmus MC, VUmc, ADX Neurosciences, Philips Healthcare, Stony Brook University and Massachusetts General Hospital. Jens Wiltfang is ...