RANDOMIZED EVIDENCE OF PSYCHOSOCIAL INTERVENTIONS IN CHILDREN EXPOSED TO TRAUMATIC EVENTS IN LOW AND MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES

European Commission FP7th Framework Programme for Research Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship Acronym: CHILD TRAUMA IN LMIC, proposal number: 626466


Scientific coordinator: Corrado Barbui

Marie Curie research fellow: Marianna Purgato

Host institution: University of Verona

Outgoing host: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health


CHILD TRAUMA IN LMIC has been developed with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for children exposed to traumatic events in humanitarian settings in low- and middle-income countries. The project has been completed on April 19, 2018. Every step has been rigorously conducted according to the Cochrane methodology, and included the following main steps:

  • a comprehensive systematic review of all randomized controlled trials conducted on this topic worldwide, conducted according to the Cochrane’s standards (from the study protocol until results’ interpretation);

  • an Individual Participant Data meta-analysis to examine whether clinical, socio-demographic, trauma-related variables, and cultural aspects, may act as moderators of treatment effect. IPD-MA has been shown to be the gold standard to re-analyze participant-level data;

  • evidence-based profiles focused on psychosocial interventions for children exposed to traumatic events in humanitarian settings in low- and middle-income countries, according to the methodology recommended by the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) international working group;

  • Registry of randomized controlled trials, as a repository of evidence to be regularly updated containing all relevant studies (either published and unpublished) on psychosocial interventions for children living in low resource humanitarian settings. The registry produced in the context of CHILD TRAUMA IN LMIC will feed future systematic reviews, trials, and research projects in the field of global mental health.

CHILD TRAUMA IN LMIC is particularly multidisciplinary, as it encompasses the following main areas:

  • evidence-based mental health, epidemiology, research methodology;
  • public health and general medicine;
  • psychology;
  • psychiatry;
  • social sciences;

USEFUL LINKS:

   Protocol
   Study result
   Theoretical background
   Commentary on study results