Abstract：
BACKGROUND: Low-intensity interventions targeting a range of mental health issues offer a scalable approach for young trauma survivors in low-middle income countries.
OBJECTIVE: Here, we present results from a proof-of-concept, randomized, waitlist-controlled trial evaluating MemFlex, an autobiographical memory-based intervention, for trauma-exposed Afghan youth residing in Iran. MemFlex seeks to reduce the negative and overgeneral memory biases which maintain and predict poor mental health.
METHODS: Young people aged 12-18 years (N = 40) with parents who had experienced forced migration from Afghanistan were recruited from high schools in Karaj City in Iran. All had experienced a traumatic event in the last year. Participants were randomized to receive four weeks of a group-based delivery of MemFlex or Waitlist. Our primary cognitive outcome was autobiographical memory flexibility, that is, the ability to deliberately retrieve any memory type on demand. Primary clinical outcome was emotional distress, measured on the Farsi version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist.
RESULTS: Results indicated that MemFlex participants demonstrated large effect sizes for pre-to-post improvement in memory flexibility (d = 2.04) and emotional distress (d = 1.23). These improvements were significantly larger than Waitlist (ds < .49), and were maintained at three-month follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: Positive benefits were observed for completion of MemFlex, and future comparison against an active intervention appears warranted.
CONCLUSIONS: Further evaluation of MemFlex in this context may offer a low-cost, and low-resource intervention to improve access to psychological intervention for young migrants in low-middle income countries.
OBJECTIVE: Here, we present results from a proof-of-concept, randomized, waitlist-controlled trial evaluating MemFlex, an autobiographical memory-based intervention, for trauma-exposed Afghan youth residing in Iran. MemFlex seeks to reduce the negative and overgeneral memory biases which maintain and predict poor mental health.
METHODS: Young people aged 12-18 years (N = 40) with parents who had experienced forced migration from Afghanistan were recruited from high schools in Karaj City in Iran. All had experienced a traumatic event in the last year. Participants were randomized to receive four weeks of a group-based delivery of MemFlex or Waitlist. Our primary cognitive outcome was autobiographical memory flexibility, that is, the ability to deliberately retrieve any memory type on demand. Primary clinical outcome was emotional distress, measured on the Farsi version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist.
RESULTS: Results indicated that MemFlex participants demonstrated large effect sizes for pre-to-post improvement in memory flexibility (d = 2.04) and emotional distress (d = 1.23). These improvements were significantly larger than Waitlist (ds < .49), and were maintained at three-month follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: Positive benefits were observed for completion of MemFlex, and future comparison against an active intervention appears warranted.
CONCLUSIONS: Further evaluation of MemFlex in this context may offer a low-cost, and low-resource intervention to improve access to psychological intervention for young migrants in low-middle income countries.
摘要：
背景：针对一系列心理健康问题的低强度干预措施为中低收入国家的年轻创伤幸存者提供了一种可扩展的方法。
目标：这里，我们给出了一个概念验证的结果，随机化，候补名单控制试验评估MemFlex，基于自传记忆的干预，居住在伊朗的遭受创伤的阿富汗青年。MemFlex旨在减少维持和预测不良心理健康的负面和过度笼统的记忆偏见。
方法：从伊朗卡拉伊市的高中招募了12-18岁（N=40）的年轻人，他们的父母经历了从阿富汗的强迫移民。去年所有人都经历了一次创伤事件。参与者被随机分配接受为期四周的基于组的MemFlex或Waitlist交付。我们的主要认知结果是自传体记忆灵活性，也就是说,根据需要故意检索任何内存类型的能力。主要临床结果是情绪困扰，在波斯语版本的霍普金斯症状清单上测量。
结果：结果表明，MemFlex参与者在记忆灵活性（d=2.04）和情绪困扰（d=1.23）的前后改善方面表现出较大的效应大小。这些改进明显大于Waitlist(ds<.49)，并维持三个月的随访。
结论：观察到完成MemFlex的积极益处，未来与积极干预的比较似乎是有道理的。
结论：在这种情况下，对MemFlex的进一步评估可能会提供低成本，和低资源干预，以改善中低收入国家年轻移民获得心理干预的机会。
目标：这里，我们给出了一个概念验证的结果，随机化，候补名单控制试验评估MemFlex，基于自传记忆的干预，居住在伊朗的遭受创伤的阿富汗青年。MemFlex旨在减少维持和预测不良心理健康的负面和过度笼统的记忆偏见。
方法：从伊朗卡拉伊市的高中招募了12-18岁（N=40）的年轻人，他们的父母经历了从阿富汗的强迫移民。去年所有人都经历了一次创伤事件。参与者被随机分配接受为期四周的基于组的MemFlex或Waitlist交付。我们的主要认知结果是自传体记忆灵活性，也就是说,根据需要故意检索任何内存类型的能力。主要临床结果是情绪困扰，在波斯语版本的霍普金斯症状清单上测量。
结果：结果表明，MemFlex参与者在记忆灵活性（d=2.04）和情绪困扰（d=1.23）的前后改善方面表现出较大的效应大小。这些改进明显大于Waitlist(ds<.49)，并维持三个月的随访。
结论：观察到完成MemFlex的积极益处，未来与积极干预的比较似乎是有道理的。
结论：在这种情况下，对MemFlex的进一步评估可能会提供低成本，和低资源干预，以改善中低收入国家年轻移民获得心理干预的机会。
