CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT00879853Updated Nov 8, 2023

Trial of Mental Health Treatment for Darfur Refugees in Cairo

An interventional study of Interpersonal Therapy in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression and Anger, sponsored by University of California, San Francisco. Completed at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-11-08.

Sponsored by University of California, San Francisco · Not applicable and Interventional

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The enormous global burden of mental illness has been estimated through the publication of the Global Burden of Disease Study, adding momentum to refugee mental health studies (1,2). As research confirms that high levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression occur in post-conflict settings, it is essential to develop effective treatment for psychological trauma in refugee populations recovering from mass violence (3-4). PTSD and depression are risk factors for anger, interpersonal discord and violence, not only among those who have trauma and depression, but also among their spouses and children (5-9). This "infectious" model of trauma/violence is critically important in the setting of ethnic conflict, as increased levels of interpersonal violence within the afflicted community hinder its recovery and fuel future cycles of conflict. To date, there has been little research on the interpersonal effects of trauma among refugee populations. The proposed research is a pilot and randomized controlled trial of "Interpersonal Therapy" (IPT) for Sudanese refugees living in Cairo. IPT, a very effective therapy for depression, has been adapted for PTSD treatment and sub-Saharan Africa settings (10-12). Measures will evaluate success of the treatment not only in terms of individual PTSD and depression symptoms, but also with respect to interpersonal conflict. Hypotheses: (1) After IPT intervention, Sudanese refugees will have lower levels of depression and trauma symptoms compared to wait list controls (2) After IPT intervention, Sudanese refugees will have lower levels of interpersonal violence compared to wait list controls.

02

Conditions studied

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Depression
  • Anger
  • Domestic Violence

Keywords

  • PTSD
  • Depression
  • Anger
  • Domestic Violence
  • Refugee
  • Asylum Seeker
  • Community Therapist
  • Paraprofessional Therapists
03

In context

Depression

8,055 studies on the registry are indexed under Depression; 1,643 are open to participants now.

Browse Depression studies →

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Francisco is the lead sponsor of 2,132 studies on the registry; 375 are open to participants now.

Of its 262 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 196 (75%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  1. Age greater than 18 years;
  2. Absence of cognitive dysfunction which requires a higher level of care and/or interferes with ability to participate in IPT;
  3. Absence of severe thought or mood disorder symptoms which requires a higher level of care and/or interferes with ability to participate in IPT;
  4. Absence of drug and alcohol dependence;
  5. HTQ score of 2.3 or greater;
  6. Ability to attend twice a week therapy sessions for 4 weeks and return for regular screening;
  7. Ability to give verbal informed consent .

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Unable to give informed consent;
  2. Age less than 18;
  3. Cognitive dysfunction which requires a higher level of care and/or interferes with ability to participate in IPT;
  4. Severe thought or mood disorder symptoms which requires a higher level of care and/or interferes with ability to participate in IPT;
  5. Drug or alcohol dependence in the past 6 months;
  6. HTQ score less than 2.5;
  7. Inability to attend twice a week therapy sessions for 4 weeks and return for regular screening .
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Interpersonal Therapy

    Behavioral: Interpersonal Therapy

  • No intervention
    Wait List Control

Interventions

  • BehavioralInterpersonal Therapy
06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms

Secondary outcomes

  1. Depression Symptoms

  2. Anger

  3. Household Conflict/Violence

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Ma'an Organization
    Cairo, Egypt
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 8, 2023, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT00879853
Lead sponsor
University of California, San Francisco
Collaborators
Ma'an Organization
First posted
Apr 13, 2009
Last update
Nov 8, 2023

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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