Improving mental health care for unaccompanied young refugees through a stepped care approach

Conditions

DSM-5: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder F43.1

Flora Katrin Dietlinger, Barbara Kasparik, Johanna Unterhitzenberger, Rita Rosner

Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health2026-07-13

10.1080/23794925.2026.2701042

Mental health care for unaccompanied young refugees in Germany through a stepped care approach versus enhanced usual care: a cluster-randomised hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial.

Rosner R, Pfeiffer E, Thielemann JFB, Eglinsky J, Garbade M, Kasparik B, Keller J, Müller LRF, Sachser C.

2026-05-13

10.1016/s2214-109x(26)00055-0

Quality of life in unaccompanied young refugees: the role of traumatic events, post-migration stressors and mental distress

Maike Garbade, Selina Kappler, Jenny Eglinsky, Heinz Kindler, Rita Rosner et al. (7 authors)

BMC Psychiatry2025-05-261 citations

10.1186/s12888-025-06975-1

Challenges and facilitators in treating unaccompanied young refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder in a dissemination trial: a qualitative study with psychotherapists.

Dietlinger FK, Kasparik B, Unterhitzenberger J, Saupe LB, Rosner R.

2025-03-20

10.1186/s13034-025-00873-w

Trajectories of mental health problems in unaccompanied young refugees in Germany and the impact of post-migration factors – a longitudinal study

Fabienne Hornfeck, Maike Garbade, Selina Kappler, Rita Rosner, Elisa Pfeiffer et al. (7 authors)

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry2024-07-316 citations

10.1007/s00787-024-02535-2

Factors affecting the acculturation strategies of unaccompanied refugee minors in Germany

Maike Garbade, Jenny Eglinsky, Heinz Kindler, Rita Rosner, Cedric Sachser et al. (6 authors)

Frontiers in Psychology2023-06-197 citations

10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1149437

Improving mental health care for unaccompanied young refugees through a stepped-care approach versus usual care+: study protocol of a cluster randomized controlled hybrid effectiveness implementation trial.

Rosner R, Sachser C, Hornfeck F, Kilian R, Kindler H, Muche R, Müller LRF, Thielemann J, Waldmann T, Ziegenhain U, Unterhitzenberger J, Pfeiffer E.

2020-12-0926 citations

10.1186/s13063-020-04922-x

Interventions

Group 1: BETTER CARE. Stepped-care approach, consisting of: 1) Screening of psychological symptoms. 2) 7 to 9 sessions of "Mein Weg" (Pfeiffer & Goldbeck, 2019), a group prevention program delivered

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

12 Years to 20 Years

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Inclusion criteria for this study are two-fold. A) At the level of the participating facilities (i.e., residential groups where UYRs are residing) 1) At least 5 UYRs residing in the facility at intake, 2) Willingness to training and implementation of the screening, 3) Willingness to appoint a mental health coordinator within the facility, 4) Willingness to implement ‘Mein Weg’ within the facility, 5) In case of referral of UYRs to TF-CBT, willingness to send a caregiver for participation in TF-CBT, 6) At least one eligible therapist per 10 UYRs available in the vicinity (not more than 1 hour travel time) or at least one eligible therapist assigned to the facility who is willing to conduct online treatment. B) At the level of the participating UYRs: 1) Age 12 to 20 years, 2) Unaccompanied, 3) Applied for asylum in Germany or planning on doing so, 4) Living in residential care provided by a facility of the Child and Youth Welfare System (CYWS), 5) Informed consent given (by UYRs and legal guardians in case of minors), 6) Report of at least one traumatic experience in the initial screening (CATS-2).

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: At the level of CYWS facilities: 1) No previous participation in "Mein Weg" studies (Pfeiffer & Goldbeck, 2017; Pfeiffer et al., 2018). There are no exclusion criteria at the level of the participating UYRs.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Severity of PTSS, assessed with the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen 2 (CATS-2), 12 months after randomization.	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1) Severity of depressive symptoms, assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), 12 months after randomization. 2) Severity of anxiety symptoms, assessed with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), 12 months after randomization. 3) Quality of life, assessed with the World Health Organization Quality of Life, brief version (WHOQOL-BREF), 12 months after randomization. 4) Severity of PTSS, assessed with the CAT-2 caregiver report, 12 months after randomization.	—

Measure

Time frame

1) Severity of depressive symptoms, assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), 12 months after randomization. 2) Severity of anxiety symptoms, assessed with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), 12 months after randomization. 3) Quality of life, assessed with the World Health Organization Quality of Life, brief version (WHOQOL-BREF), 12 months after randomization. 4) Severity of PTSS, assessed with the CAT-2 caregiver report, 12 months after randomization.

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Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactBarbara Kasparik

Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Lehrstuhl für Klinische und Biologische Psychologie Psychotherapeutische Hochschulambulanz

barbara.kasparik@ku.de+49 8421 93-23235

Outcome results

None listed