Culturally adapted psychosocial interventions (CaPSI) for early psychosis in a low-resource setting: study protocol...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Global Health
• Psychosocial Interventions

Background:

• Psychosis treatment guidelines often rely on evidence from high-income countries.
• Limited research exists on comparative psychosocial interventions for early psychosis in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• Culturally adapted interventions are crucial for diverse populations experiencing first episode psychosis (FEP).

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical efficacy of culturally adapted cognitive behaviour therapy (CaCBT) and culturally adapted family intervention (CulFI) in Pakistan.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness of CaCBT and CulFI compared to treatment as usual (TAU) for FEP.
• To improve patient and carer outcomes in a low-resource setting.

Main Methods:

• A multi-centre, three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) involving 390 individuals with FEP.
• Interventions included CaCBT, CulFI, and TAU.
• Primary outcome was the reduction of overall FEP symptoms; secondary outcomes included patient and carer well-being and functioning.

Main Results:

• Data on main results are not yet available as this is a trial registration abstract.
• The study aims to compare the efficacy of CaCBT and CulFI against TAU.
• Economic impact and detailed patient/carer outcomes will be analyzed.

Conclusions:

• Successful implementation could inform scale-up of interventions in Pakistan and other LMICs.
• Culturally adapted psychosocial interventions may improve outcomes for FEP in diverse populations.
• This research addresses a critical gap in evidence for psychosis treatment in under-resourced regions.