Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda
Virtual reality (VR) for mental health promotion remains understudied in low-income humanitarian settings. We examined the effectiveness of VR in reducing depression with urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. This randomized controlled trial assessed VR alone (Arm 1), VR followed by Group Problem...
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Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425125000032/type/journal_article |
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| author | Carmen H. Logie Moses Okumu Zerihun Admassu Frannie MacKenzie Lesley Gittings Jean-Luc Kortenaar Naimul Khan Robert Hakiza Daniel Kibuuka Musoke Aidah Nakitende Brenda Katisi Peter Kyambadde Richard Lester Lawrence Mbuagbaw |
| author_facet | Carmen H. Logie Moses Okumu Zerihun Admassu Frannie MacKenzie Lesley Gittings Jean-Luc Kortenaar Naimul Khan Robert Hakiza Daniel Kibuuka Musoke Aidah Nakitende Brenda Katisi Peter Kyambadde Richard Lester Lawrence Mbuagbaw |
| author_sort | Carmen H. Logie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Virtual reality (VR) for mental health promotion remains understudied in low-income humanitarian settings. We examined the effectiveness of VR in reducing depression with urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. This randomized controlled trial assessed VR alone (Arm 1), VR followed by Group Problem Management Plus (GPM+) (Arm 2) and a control group (Arm 3), with a peer-driven and convenience sample of refugee youth aged 16–25 in Kampala. The primary outcome, depression, was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Secondary outcomes included: mental health literacy, mental health stigma, self-compassion, mental well-being and adaptive coping. Analyses were conducted at three time points (baseline, 8 weeks, 16 weeks) using generalized estimating equations. Among participants (n = 335, mean age: 20.77, standard deviation: 3.01; cisgender women: n = 158, cisgender men: n = 173, transgender women: n = 4), we found no depression reductions for Arms 1 or 2 at 16 weeks compared with Arm 3. At 16 weeks, mental health literacy was significantly higher for Arm 2 compared with Arm 3, and self-compassion was significantly higher in Arm 1 and Arm 2 compared with Arm 3. VR alongside GPM+ may benefit self-compassion and MHL among urban refugee youth in Kampala, but these interventions were not effective in reducing depression. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cb2b3837a3b44a1685d9a0127fbafb99 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2054-4251 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-cb2b3837a3b44a1685d9a0127fbafb992025-01-30T05:46:17ZengCambridge University PressCambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health2054-42512025-01-011210.1017/gmh.2025.3Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, UgandaCarmen H. Logie0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8035-433XMoses Okumu1Zerihun Admassu2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1670-8949Frannie MacKenzie3Lesley Gittings4Jean-Luc Kortenaar5Naimul Khan6Robert Hakiza7Daniel Kibuuka Musoke8Aidah Nakitende9Brenda Katisi10Peter Kyambadde11Richard Lester12Lawrence Mbuagbaw13Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment & Health, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Centre for Gender and Sexuality Health Equity, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaSchool of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA Uganda Christian University, Mukono, UgandaFactor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaFactor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaSchool of Health Studies, Western University, London, Canada Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town, South AfricaDalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaDepartment of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, CanadaYoung African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID), Kampala, UgandaInternational Research Consortium, Kampala, UgandaInternational Research Consortium, Kampala, UgandaYoung African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID), Kampala, UgandaNational AIDS and STI Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda Most At Risk Population Initiative, Mulago Hospital, Kampala, UgandaDepartment of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaDepartment of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Department of Anesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Biostatistics Unit, Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre, St Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada Centre for Development of Best Practices in Health (CDBPH), Yaoundé Central Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South AfricaVirtual reality (VR) for mental health promotion remains understudied in low-income humanitarian settings. We examined the effectiveness of VR in reducing depression with urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda. This randomized controlled trial assessed VR alone (Arm 1), VR followed by Group Problem Management Plus (GPM+) (Arm 2) and a control group (Arm 3), with a peer-driven and convenience sample of refugee youth aged 16–25 in Kampala. The primary outcome, depression, was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Secondary outcomes included: mental health literacy, mental health stigma, self-compassion, mental well-being and adaptive coping. Analyses were conducted at three time points (baseline, 8 weeks, 16 weeks) using generalized estimating equations. Among participants (n = 335, mean age: 20.77, standard deviation: 3.01; cisgender women: n = 158, cisgender men: n = 173, transgender women: n = 4), we found no depression reductions for Arms 1 or 2 at 16 weeks compared with Arm 3. At 16 weeks, mental health literacy was significantly higher for Arm 2 compared with Arm 3, and self-compassion was significantly higher in Arm 1 and Arm 2 compared with Arm 3. VR alongside GPM+ may benefit self-compassion and MHL among urban refugee youth in Kampala, but these interventions were not effective in reducing depression.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425125000032/type/journal_articlevirtual realityrefugeesUgandadepressionself-compassionyouth |
| spellingShingle | Carmen H. Logie Moses Okumu Zerihun Admassu Frannie MacKenzie Lesley Gittings Jean-Luc Kortenaar Naimul Khan Robert Hakiza Daniel Kibuuka Musoke Aidah Nakitende Brenda Katisi Peter Kyambadde Richard Lester Lawrence Mbuagbaw Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health virtual reality refugees Uganda depression self-compassion youth |
| title | Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda |
| title_full | Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda |
| title_fullStr | Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda |
| title_full_unstemmed | Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda |
| title_short | Findings from the Tushirikiane-4-MH (supporting each other for mental health) mobile health–supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda |
| title_sort | findings from the tushirikiane 4 mh supporting each other for mental health mobile health supported virtual reality randomized controlled trial among urban refugee youth in kampala uganda |
| topic | virtual reality refugees Uganda depression self-compassion youth |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425125000032/type/journal_article |
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