RCT of post-conflict trauma interventions in the Central African Republic

This study evaluates mental health treatment in a post-conflict setting with scant mental health resources. The study reports on a randomized crossover control group design with one intervention and two control groups implemented in the Central African Republic (CAR). The intervention's impact on symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma was analyzed among a sample of 298 participants located in the capital city, Bangui. Participants were screened for elevated levels of anxiety and depression and randomly assigned to one of three groups: control, intervention and active control. Data included an initial interview, measurement following the two intervention workshops and a 3-month post-intervention follow-up. The trauma reduction intervention significantly reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and trauma compared to the waitlist control. The active control group focused on peace and value education and produced equivalent outcomes to the trauma-reduction intervention group. Further, at 3 months follow-up, the impact of both interventions remained significant, although lower. The two interventions did not differ from one another. The study demonstrates two practical approaches for addressing anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms in post-conflict, low-resource settings. The similar outcome of the two interventions may suggest that they share common therapeutic elements.