Anxiety Symptoms, Depression Symptoms, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Conditions
Keywords
Post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression, Refugees, Asylum seekers, Migrants, Tetris, Longitudinal
Brief summary
This study examines if playing Tetris prevents the development of Post-traumatic stress disorder or related anxiety and depressive symptoms. The investigators recruit 300 participants in total in Greece and in the Netherlands. The participants are immigrants who have applied for asylum at any point in the past. The participants are asked to answer three questionnaires (on Post-traumatic stress disorder, related anxiety and depressive symptoms, and post-migration living difficulties) on a recurring basis - once every 4 weeks, 12 times in total. Half of the participants (treatment group) are randomly selected to play Tetris after completing the questionnaires. Participants in the treatment group are instructed to play Tetris for at least 15 minutes while trying to remember bad things that recently happened to them. Tetris is administered at three instances and participants in the treatment group are encouraged to play Tetris in case of experiencing any traumatic events or having any intrusive memories during the course of the study.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTetris
Randomly selected participants (migrants) are asked to play Tetris for at least 15 minutes on several occasions. These participants are asked while playing Tetris to try and remember bad events that recently happened to them. The participants play the classic version of the Tetris game directly on their mobile phone.
OTHERNo intervention
Participants do not receive any intervention.
Sponsors
Stichting tot steun VCVGZ
Tilburg University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Arabic-speaking immigrants of any gender who have applied for asylum in Greece or in the Netherlands, regardless of the outcome of their asylum application and their current residency status (rejected asylum seekers, recognized refugees, undocumented migrants).
Exclusion criteria
* Minors (under the age of 18).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Post-traumatic stress disorder | From enrolment to the end of the study (40 weeks) | The investigators use the Primary Care Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screen for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (PC-PTSD-5) |
| Anxiety and depression symptoms | From enrolment to the end of the study (40 weeks) | The investigators use the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Post-migration living difficulties | From enrolment to the end of the study (40 weeks) | In the course of the study, the investigators measure variation in post-migration living difficulties such as separation from family, social isolation, language barriers, etc. Participants are presented a checklist of items and asked to identify for each item if it has been a problem for them over the last month, with 4 possible answers for each item: 1) not a problem; 2) minor problem; 3) serious problem; 4) very serious problem. In addition, participants are asked if over the last month they have 1) been victimised in any way ; 2) had any negative experiences involving bureaucratic personnel or state officials; 3) had experiences that made them feel happy and gave them hope for the future (open questions). |
Countries
Greece, Netherlands
Contacts
Primary ContactMario Braakman, Prof.
Backup ContactTihomir Sabchev, Dr.
Outcome results
None listed