Culturally Adapting a Digital Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation for Syrian Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United Kingdom: Protocol for a Qualitative Study
BackgroundThe conflict in Syria has produced the largest forced displacement crisis since the Second World War. As a result, Syrians have experienced various stressors across the migratory process, putting them at an increased risk of developing mental health issues, includin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2023-06-01
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| Series: | JMIR Research Protocols |
| Online Access: | https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e47627 |
| _version_ | 1797733937000218624 |
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| author | Oliver Beuthin Kamaldeep Bhui Ly-Mee Yu Sadiya Shahid Louay Almidani Mariah Malak Bilalaga Roshan Hussein Alnarjes Harba Yasmine Nasser |
| author_facet | Oliver Beuthin Kamaldeep Bhui Ly-Mee Yu Sadiya Shahid Louay Almidani Mariah Malak Bilalaga Roshan Hussein Alnarjes Harba Yasmine Nasser |
| author_sort | Oliver Beuthin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundThe conflict in Syria has produced the largest forced displacement crisis since the Second World War. As a result, Syrians have experienced various stressors across the migratory process, putting them at an increased risk of developing mental health issues, including, crucially, suicidal ideation (SI). Despite their high rates of SI across Europe, there remain various barriers to accessing treatment. One way to increase access is the use of culturally adapted digital interventions, which have already shown potential for other minority populations. To culturally adapt the intervention, further research is needed to better understand Syrian asylum seekers’ and refugees’ cultural conceptualizations, coping strategies, and help-seeking behavior for SI. To do so, this study will use a unique cultural adaptation framework to intervene at points of lived experience with the migratory process where Syrian culture and signs of psychopathology converge. Likewise, co-design events will be used to adapt points of experience with the intervention where Syrian culture and the intervention conflict. As the first cultural adaption of a digital SI intervention for Syrian asylum seekers and refugees, this study will hopefully encourage further development of culturally sensitive interventions for the largest refugee population in the United Kingdom and the world.
ObjectiveThe objective of the study is to increase access to mental health treatment for Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in the United Kingdom by culturally adapting a digital intervention to reduce SI.
MethodsThe study will use experience-based co-design, an action research method, to culturally adapt a digital intervention to reduce SI for Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in the United Kingdom. This will involve conducting 20-30 interviews to understand their lived experiences with the migratory process, cultural conceptualizations of mental health and SI, coping strategies, mental health help-seeking behavior, and perceptions of digital mental health interventions. In addition, 3 co-design events with 6 participants in each will be held to collaboratively adapt the intervention. Touchpoints and themes extracted from each phase will be prioritized by a community panel before adapting the intervention.
ResultsThe study began in November 2022 and will continue until the last co-design event in August 2023. The results of the study will then be published by December 2023.
ConclusionsAccess to treatment for some of the most severe mental health issues is still limited for Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in the United Kingdom. Cultural adaptations of digital interventions developed for general populations have the potential to increase access to treatment for this population. Specifically, adapting the intervention for Syrian asylum seekers’ and refugees’ experiences with SI in relation to their lived experience with the migratory process may enable greater recruitment and adherence for users of various cultural and ethnic subgroups and levels of SI.
International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/47627 |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:36:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0690104316c64212865c78cfb7ccb84d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1929-0748 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:36:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Research Protocols |
| spelling | doaj.art-0690104316c64212865c78cfb7ccb84d2023-08-29T00:05:28ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Research Protocols1929-07482023-06-0112e4762710.2196/47627Culturally Adapting a Digital Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation for Syrian Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United Kingdom: Protocol for a Qualitative StudyOliver Beuthinhttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-6004-4763Kamaldeep Bhuihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9205-2144Ly-Mee Yuhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0331-7364Sadiya Shahidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4955-164XLouay Almidanihttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-6769-5519Mariah Malak Bilalagahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1598-8627Roshan Husseinhttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-6268-5055Alnarjes Harbahttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-3055-5388Yasmine Nasserhttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-4316-7657 BackgroundThe conflict in Syria has produced the largest forced displacement crisis since the Second World War. As a result, Syrians have experienced various stressors across the migratory process, putting them at an increased risk of developing mental health issues, including, crucially, suicidal ideation (SI). Despite their high rates of SI across Europe, there remain various barriers to accessing treatment. One way to increase access is the use of culturally adapted digital interventions, which have already shown potential for other minority populations. To culturally adapt the intervention, further research is needed to better understand Syrian asylum seekers’ and refugees’ cultural conceptualizations, coping strategies, and help-seeking behavior for SI. To do so, this study will use a unique cultural adaptation framework to intervene at points of lived experience with the migratory process where Syrian culture and signs of psychopathology converge. Likewise, co-design events will be used to adapt points of experience with the intervention where Syrian culture and the intervention conflict. As the first cultural adaption of a digital SI intervention for Syrian asylum seekers and refugees, this study will hopefully encourage further development of culturally sensitive interventions for the largest refugee population in the United Kingdom and the world. ObjectiveThe objective of the study is to increase access to mental health treatment for Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in the United Kingdom by culturally adapting a digital intervention to reduce SI. MethodsThe study will use experience-based co-design, an action research method, to culturally adapt a digital intervention to reduce SI for Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in the United Kingdom. This will involve conducting 20-30 interviews to understand their lived experiences with the migratory process, cultural conceptualizations of mental health and SI, coping strategies, mental health help-seeking behavior, and perceptions of digital mental health interventions. In addition, 3 co-design events with 6 participants in each will be held to collaboratively adapt the intervention. Touchpoints and themes extracted from each phase will be prioritized by a community panel before adapting the intervention. ResultsThe study began in November 2022 and will continue until the last co-design event in August 2023. The results of the study will then be published by December 2023. ConclusionsAccess to treatment for some of the most severe mental health issues is still limited for Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in the United Kingdom. Cultural adaptations of digital interventions developed for general populations have the potential to increase access to treatment for this population. Specifically, adapting the intervention for Syrian asylum seekers’ and refugees’ experiences with SI in relation to their lived experience with the migratory process may enable greater recruitment and adherence for users of various cultural and ethnic subgroups and levels of SI. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/47627https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e47627 |
| spellingShingle | Oliver Beuthin Kamaldeep Bhui Ly-Mee Yu Sadiya Shahid Louay Almidani Mariah Malak Bilalaga Roshan Hussein Alnarjes Harba Yasmine Nasser Culturally Adapting a Digital Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation for Syrian Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United Kingdom: Protocol for a Qualitative Study JMIR Research Protocols |
| title | Culturally Adapting a Digital Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation for Syrian Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United Kingdom: Protocol for a Qualitative Study |
| title_full | Culturally Adapting a Digital Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation for Syrian Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United Kingdom: Protocol for a Qualitative Study |
| title_fullStr | Culturally Adapting a Digital Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation for Syrian Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United Kingdom: Protocol for a Qualitative Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Culturally Adapting a Digital Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation for Syrian Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United Kingdom: Protocol for a Qualitative Study |
| title_short | Culturally Adapting a Digital Intervention to Reduce Suicidal Ideation for Syrian Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the United Kingdom: Protocol for a Qualitative Study |
| title_sort | culturally adapting a digital intervention to reduce suicidal ideation for syrian asylum seekers and refugees in the united kingdom protocol for a qualitative study |
| url | https://www.researchprotocols.org/2023/1/e47627 |
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