Mind-Body Skills Groups for Behavioral and Emotional Problems in War-Traumatized Male Adolescents in Gaza
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
The purpose of this study is to determine whether war-traumatize male adolescents with behavioral and emotional problems who participate in mind-body skills groups will have improvement in behavioral and emotional problems, aggression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, compared to a wait list control group.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Detailed Description
Mind-body skills incorporate meditation, guided imagery, breathing techniques, autogenic training, biofeedback, genograms, and self-expression through words, drawings, and movement in a small group setting. These groups have been used in war-traumatize populations in Kosovo, Gaza and the United States. This study will be investigating the effect of the mind-body skills groups on boys with behavioral and emotional problem at a high school in Gaza to determine if there is improvement in behavioral and emotional problems, aggression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The results will be compared to a control high school with boys who will not be attending mind-body skills groups and who have experienced similar levels of trauma and also have behavioral and emotional problems.
The mind-body skills groups will be held for 2 hours once a week for 10 weeks and then once a month for 10 months. Measures will be taken at baseline, after the 10 week mind-body skills group program and again at 10 month follow-up.
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| Experimental: Mind-Body Skills Groups Mind-body skills groups will be administered for 2 hours once a week for 10 weeks and then once a month for 10 months. |
Behavioral: Mind-Body Skills Groups
Mind-Body Skills groups consist of small groups of about 8-10 participants who learn and practice meditation, guided imagery, breathing techniques, autogenic training, biofeedback, genograms, and self-expression through words, drawings, and movement.
|
| No Intervention: Wait List Control No intervention will be administered. Students will have the opportunity to receive the intervention at the end of the study. |
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [Change from Baseline to the end of the 10 week program (Post)]
The 25 item Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) measures behavioral and emotional function. These 25 items are divided into 5 subscales: emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior. The SDQ is scored on a 3 point Likert-type scale with the responses "not true, "somewhat true", and "certainly true". Total SDQ scores include all the subscales except the prosocial scale.
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [Change from the end of the 10 week program (Post) to 10 month-follow up]
The 25 item Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) measures behavioral and emotional function. These 25 items are divided into 5 subscales: emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior. The SDQ is scored on a 3 point Likert-type scale with the responses "not true, "somewhat true", and "certainly true". Total SDQ scores include all the subscales except the prosocial scale.
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [Change from Baseline to 10 month follow-up after the program ends]
The 25 item Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) measures behavioral and emotional function. These 25 items are divided into 5 subscales: emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems, and prosocial behavior. The SDQ is scored on a 3 point Likert-type scale with the responses "not true, "somewhat true", and "certainly true". Total SDQ scores include all the subscales except the prosocial scale.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- The Aggression Questionnaire [Change from Baseline to the end of the 10 week program (Post)]
Aggression will be measured using the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) which is a revision of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory that has been widely used to measure aggression. The AQ consists of 34 items scored on a 5 point Likert-type scale with responses ranging from "not at all like me" to "completely like me". The AQ has the following subscales: physical aggression,verbal aggression, anger, hostility, and indirect aggression.
- The Aggression Questionnaire [Change from the end of the 10 week program (Post) to 10 month-follow up]
Aggression will be measured using the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) which is a revision of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory that has been widely used to measure aggression. The AQ consists of 34 items scored on a 5 point Likert-type scale with responses ranging from "not at all like me" to "completely like me". The AQ has the following subscales: physical aggression,verbal aggression, anger, hostility, and indirect aggression.
- The Aggression Questionnaire [Change from Baseline to 10 month follow-up after the program ends]
Aggression will be measured using the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) which is a revision of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory that has been widely used to measure aggression. The AQ consists of 34 items scored on a 5 point Likert-type scale with responses ranging from "not at all like me" to "completely like me". The AQ has the following subscales: physical aggression,verbal aggression, anger, hostility, and indirect aggression.
- PTSD Checklist-5 [Change from Baseline to the end of the 10 week program (Post)]
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms will be measured using the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5). PCL-5 is a a self-report measure that assesses 20 symptoms of PTSD. The rating scale is 0-4 for each symptom with responses ranging from "Not at all," "A little bit," Moderately," "Quite a bit," to "Extremely."
- PTSD Checklist-5 [Change from the end of the 10 week program (Post) to 10 month-follow up]
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms will be measured using the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5). PCL-5 is a a self-report measure that assesses 20 symptoms of PTSD. The rating scale is 0-4 for each symptom with responses ranging from "Not at all," "A little bit," Moderately," "Quite a bit," to "Extremely."
- PTSD Checklist-5 [Change from Baseline to 10 month follow-up after the program ends]
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms will be measured using the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5). PCL-5 is a a self-report measure that assesses 20 symptoms of PTSD. The rating scale is 0-4 for each symptom with responses ranging from "Not at all," "A little bit," Moderately," "Quite a bit," to "Extremely."
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Criteria for eligibility for the study will include having a baseline self-reported score of 18 points or higher on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire which indicates high to very high levels of emotional and behavioral problems
Exclusion Criteria:
- None
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Center for Mind-Body Medicine | Gaza City | Remal Area | Palestinian Territory, occupied | Al Hasham Building |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
Investigators
- Study Director: Jamil A Atti, MS, The Center for Mind-Body Medicine
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Additional Information:
Publications
None provided.- GT-CMBM-002