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Culturally Adapted Psychoeducation for Bipolar Disorder in a Low-resource Setting: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Culturally Adapted Psychoeducation for Bipolar Disorder in a Low-resource Setting: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05223959
Acronym
CaPE
Enrollment
303
Registered
2022-02-04
Start date
2022-06-20
Completion date
2025-06-28
Last updated
2026-05-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Bipolar Disorder

Brief summary

Study objectives: 1. To determine the effectiveness of the CaPE intervention compared to treatment as usual (TAU) in reducing the time to recurrence for people with bipolar disorder (BD) I/II, currently in remission in Pakistan 2. To determine the impact of the CaPE intervention compared to TAU on clinical outcomes, quality of life and functioning; and 3. To estimate the cost-effectiveness of CaPE in a low-resource setting (i.e., Pakistan) (if the RCT confirms the effectiveness of CaPE in BD. Study design and setting: This will be a multi-centre, assessor blind, individual, parallel-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) with Pakistani patients with BD. Sample Size: The study aims to recruit a total of N=300 participants in total.

Detailed description

Psychoeducation (PE) is an effective adjunctive treatment option in BD, however, despite the clear benefits, there are only limited, underpowered studies of PE from LMICs, including Pakistan. Therefore, the current study aims to test the effectiveness of Culturally adapted PsychoEducation (CaPE) intervention for people with BD in Pakistan. The study will include a total of N=300 people with BD from psychiatric units of teaching and non-teaching hospitals in 8 centres across Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad and Quetta. Consented participants meeting eligibility criteria will be randomised in a 1:1 allocation to CaPE or TAU. Randomization will be computer generated and use a random permuted block method with variable block sizes stratified by site, bipolar type (I or II) and self-reported sex. Participants in CaPE intervention group will receive 12-weekly one-to-one psychoeducation sessions. Each CaPE session will last for approximately 1 hour, beginning with a 20-30-minute presentation on the topic of the day, followed by a related exercise (e.g., drawing a life chart or compiling a list of potential triggers for recurrence). Sessions will be delivered by trained psychologists who will receive regular weekly supervision to maintain fidelity. The other group will receive TAU/control group. Assessments will be carried out at baseline, months 3, 6, and 12 either in-person and/or via secure videoconference software (alternatives to in-person for COVID-19 or travel restrictions) by trained, blinded research analysts (RAs). The treatment groups will be compared with each other at baseline and then at subsequent follow-ups at 3, 6 and 12 months. We will also conduct in-depth, one-to-one interviews with service users from the intervention arm (15-20), carers (15-20) and all therapists involved in the trial. A cost-utility analysis from a healthcare system and societal perspective will be conducted to establish the cost-effectiveness of CaPE against TAU.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALCulturally adapted Psychoeducation

This is a culturally adapted psychoeducation program consisting of 12 sessions. Each CaPE session lasts for approximately 60 minutes, beginning with a 20-30-minute presentation on the topic of the day, followed by a related exercise (e.g., drawing a life chart or compiling a list of potential triggers for recurrence).

Sponsors

Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning
Lead SponsorOTHER
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
CollaboratorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Adult outpatients age 18 and above * Diagnosis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) bipolar disorder (both BD I and BD II), currently in remission, confirmed by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID) * Currently euthymic (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HDRS-17 \< 8 and Young Mania Rating Scale, YMRS \<8) * Able to give written informed consent * On stable psychiatric medication regimen for at least 3 months * Resident of the trial catchment area.

Exclusion criteria

* Active substance use disorder, based on DSM-5 criteria * Currently experiencing recurrence (mania, hypomania, mixed or depressive * Active suicidal ideation * Unstable residential arrangements that reduce likelihood of being available for the duration of trial.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Longitudinal Interval Follow-up EvaluationChange in scores from baseline to months 3, 6, and 12Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation (LIFE) is an integrated system for assessing the longitudinal course of psychiatric disorders. The assessment will consist of a semi-structured interview, during which an interviewer uses the LIFE to collect detailed psychosocial, psychopathologic, and treatment information for the follow-up interval. The weekly psychopathology measures are ordinal symptom-based scales with categories defined to match the criteria of the DSM-5.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Demographic QuestionnaireBaselineDemographic Questionnaire will be used to assess baseline demographics including age, gender, self-reported sex, marital status, smoking status, employment status, education and monthly income.
Young Mania Rating ScaleChange in scores from baseline to months 3, 6, and 12Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) will be used to assess manic symptom severity. The scale has 11 items and is based on the patient's subjective report of his or her clinical condition over the previous 48 hours.
Hamilton Depression Rating ScaleChange in scores from baseline to months 3, 6, and 12Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17) is a clinician-administered scale that will be used to measure severity of depression symptoms.
Quality of life scaleChange in scores from baseline to months 3, 6, and 12EuroQol-5D (EQ- 5D) EQ-5D will be used to assess health-related quality of life over 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, daily activities, pain-discomfort, anxiety and depression) 44. It also includes and a Visual Analogue Scale that evaluates patients' perceived health status.
Bipolar Recovery QuestionnaireChange in scores from baseline to months 3, 6, and 12Bipolar Recovery Questionnaire (BRQ) is a 36-item questionnaire that will be used to measure functioning and personal experiences of recovery specific to patients with BD.
Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-4 itemsChange in scores from baseline to months 3, 6, and 12Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-4-item will be used to measure medication adherence.
Bipolar Knowledge and Attitudes QuestionnaireChange in scores from baseline to months 3, 6, and 12Bipolar Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire (BKAQ) is a 25-item questionnaire developed for use in primary care to assess knowledge and attitudes towards bipolar disorder.
Client Service Receipt InventoryFrom baseline to months 3, 6, and 12Client Service Receipt Inventory (CSRI) is a tool used to collect information on the whole range of services and supports study participants may be accessing.

Countries

Pakistan

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORMuhammad Ishrat Husain, MD

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORNasim Chaudhry, MD

Pakistan Institute of Living and Learning

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: May 6, 2026