Experiences of internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety among Arabic-speaking individuals in Sweden: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) is a promising treatment for refugee and immigrant populations suffering from common mental disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate experiences of participating in a guided ICBT program among resettled Arabic-speaking individuals suffering from symptoms of anxiety and depression. METHODS: Ten individuals who had previously received ICBT consented to participate and were interviewed using semi-structured telephone interviews. The interviews were conducted 10 months after treatment termination. Data were transcribed and analysed using a Thematic Analysis framework. RESULTS: The Thematic Analysis resulted in five overarching themes 1) The importance of being seen, 2) New ways of knowing and doing, 3) Treatment format not for everyone, 4) Changing attitudes towards mental health and help-seeking and 5) The healthcare system as a complex puzzle. Participants described varying levels of success in applying the new information learned from the treatment in their everyday lives. The results also indicate that participation in the ICBT program to some extent mitigated mental health stigma and acted as a precursor to other forms of treatment seeking. CONCLUSIONS: The findings in the present study are largely in line with previous qualitative research studies on ICBT participants. Future research should investigate whether a more explicit focus on refugee-specific stressors and barriers to treatment engagement and implementation can increase adherence to ICBT programs in this population.

Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety among Arabic-speaking individuals in Sweden: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Arabic-speaking immigrants and refugees constitute one of the largest immigrant groups in Sweden. Previous research on Arabic-speaking immigrants indicates elevated levels of psychological disorders, including depression and anxiety. The aim of the present pilot study was to examine the efficacy of an internet-delivered cognitive behavioural treatment (ICBT) in an Arabic-speaking immigrant population. The intervention was individually tailored based on self-described problems and consisted of nine modules targeting areas such as depression, anxiety and insomnia. In total, 59 individuals were included and randomized to either an 8-week treatment or wait-list control. Self-reported symptoms of depression on the PHQ-9 were used as primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures of anxiety, stress, insomnia, quality of life and post-traumatic stress were also used. In the intention-to-treat analysis, depressive symptoms were significantly reduced compared to the wait-list control group with a between-group effect at post-treatment of Cohen's d = 0.85 [0.29, 1.41]. We also found significant between-group effects for symptoms of insomnia and stress, but not for anxiety, post-traumatic stress or quality of life measures. The results indicate that ICBT is a promising treatment approach for treating symptoms of depression, insomnia and stress, in an Arabic-speaking immigrant population. Further studies with larger samples are warranted.