Experimental and Randomized Controlled Trials of a Psychosocial Intervention for Youth Affected by the Syrian Crisis

Strengthening the evidence base for humanitarian interventions that provide psychosocial support to war-affected youth is a key priority. We tested the impacts of an 8-week program of structured activities informed by a profound stress attunement (PSA) framework, delivered in group-format to 12–18-year-olds in communities heavily affected by the Syrian crisis. We included both Syrian refugees and Jordanian youth.

We followed an experimental design, comparing treatment youth and wait-list controls over two program implementation cycles. We measured insecurity, distress, mental health difficulties, prosocial behaviour and post-traumatic stress symptoms at three time-points: baseline (n = 817 youth; 55% Syrian, 43% female), postintervention (n = 463; 54% Syrian, 47% female), and follow-up (n = 212, 58% Syrian, 43% female).