Standardised Research Methods and Documentation in Cultural Adaptation: The Need, the Potential and Future Steps
[Background] Refugees and asylum seekers in Europe are affected by high prevalence of common mental disorders. Under the call ‘mental health of refugee populations’, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (FMER) funded a series of research projects to test evidence-based psychological...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for Psychology
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Clinical Psychology in Europe |
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| Online Access: | https://cpe.psychopen.eu/index.php/cpe/article/view/5513 |
| _version_ | 1797968575945768960 |
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| author | Eva Heim Christine Knaevelsrud |
| author_facet | Eva Heim Christine Knaevelsrud |
| author_sort | Eva Heim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | [Background] Refugees and asylum seekers in Europe are affected by high prevalence of common mental disorders. Under the call ‘mental health of refugee populations’, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (FMER) funded a series of research projects to test evidence-based psychological interventions among refugee populations in Germany. In addition, the “Task force for cultural adaptation of mental health interventions for refugees” was established to develop a structured procedure for harmonising and documenting cultural adaptations across the FMER-funded research projects. [Method] A template for documenting cultural adaptations in a standardised manner was developed and completed by researchers in their respective projects. Documentation contained original data from formative research, as well as references and other sources that had been used during the adaptation process. All submitted templates and additional materials were analysed using qualitative content analysis. [Results] Research projects under the FMER call include minors, adults, and families from different origins with common mental disorders. Two studies used and adapted existing manuals for the treatment of PTSD. Four studies adapted existing transdiagnostic manuals, three of which had already been developed with a culture-sensitive focus. Four other studies developed new intervention manuals using evidence-based treatment components. The levels of cultural adaptation varied across studies, ranging from surface adaptations of existing manuals to the development of new, culture-sensitive interventions for refugees. [Conclusions] Cultural adaptation is often an iterative process of piloting, feedback, and further adaptation. Having a documentation system in place from start helps structuring this process and increases transparency. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:48:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9b764751d464454eaeb3d851d69cf2d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2625-3410 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T02:48:53Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | PsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for Psychology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinical Psychology in Europe |
| spelling | doaj.art-9b764751d464454eaeb3d851d69cf2d72023-01-02T17:12:34ZengPsychOpen GOLD/ Leibniz Institute for PsychologyClinical Psychology in Europe2625-34102021-11-013Special Issue10.32872/cpe.5513cpe.5513Standardised Research Methods and Documentation in Cultural Adaptation: The Need, the Potential and Future StepsEva Heim0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7434-7451Christine Knaevelsrud1Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, SwitzerlandDepartment of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany[Background] Refugees and asylum seekers in Europe are affected by high prevalence of common mental disorders. Under the call ‘mental health of refugee populations’, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (FMER) funded a series of research projects to test evidence-based psychological interventions among refugee populations in Germany. In addition, the “Task force for cultural adaptation of mental health interventions for refugees” was established to develop a structured procedure for harmonising and documenting cultural adaptations across the FMER-funded research projects. [Method] A template for documenting cultural adaptations in a standardised manner was developed and completed by researchers in their respective projects. Documentation contained original data from formative research, as well as references and other sources that had been used during the adaptation process. All submitted templates and additional materials were analysed using qualitative content analysis. [Results] Research projects under the FMER call include minors, adults, and families from different origins with common mental disorders. Two studies used and adapted existing manuals for the treatment of PTSD. Four studies adapted existing transdiagnostic manuals, three of which had already been developed with a culture-sensitive focus. Four other studies developed new intervention manuals using evidence-based treatment components. The levels of cultural adaptation varied across studies, ranging from surface adaptations of existing manuals to the development of new, culture-sensitive interventions for refugees. [Conclusions] Cultural adaptation is often an iterative process of piloting, feedback, and further adaptation. Having a documentation system in place from start helps structuring this process and increases transparency.https://cpe.psychopen.eu/index.php/cpe/article/view/5513cultural adaptationrefugeesrandomised controlled trialsdocumentationmonitoringformative research |
| spellingShingle | Eva Heim Christine Knaevelsrud Standardised Research Methods and Documentation in Cultural Adaptation: The Need, the Potential and Future Steps Clinical Psychology in Europe cultural adaptation refugees randomised controlled trials documentation monitoring formative research |
| title | Standardised Research Methods and Documentation in Cultural Adaptation: The Need, the Potential and Future Steps |
| title_full | Standardised Research Methods and Documentation in Cultural Adaptation: The Need, the Potential and Future Steps |
| title_fullStr | Standardised Research Methods and Documentation in Cultural Adaptation: The Need, the Potential and Future Steps |
| title_full_unstemmed | Standardised Research Methods and Documentation in Cultural Adaptation: The Need, the Potential and Future Steps |
| title_short | Standardised Research Methods and Documentation in Cultural Adaptation: The Need, the Potential and Future Steps |
| title_sort | standardised research methods and documentation in cultural adaptation the need the potential and future steps |
| topic | cultural adaptation refugees randomised controlled trials documentation monitoring formative research |
| url | https://cpe.psychopen.eu/index.php/cpe/article/view/5513 |
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