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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03846154

Reintegrating Children Living at Landfills in Burundi Into Society by Means of a Comprehensive Family Program Addressing Maltreatment and Mental Health Symptoms

Children living at the landfills of Bujumbura are often exposed to maltreatment, including emotional neglect and physical abuse, and traumatic experiences. Furthermore, they grow up in severe poverty. Addressing trauma-related mental health issues and aggressive behaviour by Narrative Exposure Therapy (FORNET), familial communication by family visits, interaction difficulties of children by a group intervention, poverty by financial support and economic training for mothers, medical problems by medical assistance, legal conflicts by legal advice, and providing access to school, we aimed at reintegrating those children within the Burundian school system and improving familial relationships.

The investigators want to provide evidence, that mental health interventions are an integral part of assisting children and families affected by poverty and violence.

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Key information

Conditions

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Aberrant Motor Behavior in Dementia Aggression Aggressive Behaviour Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Days Spent at the Landfill Mental Disorders Parental Maltreatment Social Behavior Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, Traumatic Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders

Age range

7 year–18 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

vivo international & Psychologues sans Frontières mental health center

Bujumbura, Bujumbura Mairie Province, Burundi

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Spending days at the landfills of Bujumbura

Exclusion criteria

  • Psychotic symptoms

Treatment and study plan

Comprehensive family intervention including individual sessions of FORNET

Behavioral
  • A group intervention once a week for about 20 weeks, including psychoeducation on mental health and drug abuse, anger management, roles within families, developing plans for the future, communication skills, sex education.
  • Access to schools and school material
  • Family visits
  • Their parents received training regarding agriculture and microcredit projects, and financial assistance
  • FORNET if affected by trauma-related symptoms, and/or acting aggressive
  • If needed medical assistance /.) If needed, legal assistance

Primary outcomes

  1. Change of load of traumatic symptoms measured via the University of California at Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (scale administered by Clinicians)

    Time frame: baseline; 5 months follow-up; 9 months follow-up

    27 items assessing PTSD, 4 additional items assessing dissociation on a scale from 0 - 4. Due to scoring rules, total sum score ranges from 0 to 80; sub scale intrusion: 0 - 20; sub scale avoidance: 0 - 8; sub scale negative cognitions: 0 - 28; sub scale hyperarousal: 0 - 24; higher values indicate more severe PTSD symptoms; all items are summed up for the total score

  2. Change of number of aggressive acts measured via an adaption of the Domestic and Community Violence Checklist

    Time frame: baseline; 5 months follow-up; 9 months follow-up

    32 items; answer categories: yes or no; sum score ranges from 0 - 32

  3. Change of experienced parental maltreatment measured via a shortened version of the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure (MACE)

    Time frame: baseline; 5 months follow-up; 9 months follow-up

    total sum score ranges from 0 - 100; sum score of each sub scale ranges from 0 - 10

  4. Change of number of days spent at the landfill

    Time frame: baseline; 5 months follow-up; 9 months follow-up

    during the last 14 days; sum ranges from 0 - 14

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Konstanz

Other

Collaborators

  • Psychologues sans Frontières Burundi
  • Université Lumière de Bujumbura
  • Vivo international e.V.

Registry information

Official study title

Reintegrating Children Living at Landfills in Burundi Into Society by Means of a Comprehensive Family Program Addressing Maltreatment and Trauma-related Mental Health Symptoms

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2019
Study completion
2019
First posted
Feb 19, 2019
Registry last updated
Apr 25, 2019

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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