Abstract :
[en] Background
The paper presents an effectiveness study of two World Health Organization (WHO) scalable psychological interventions, Self-Help Plus (SH+) and Problem Management Plus (PM+), for the patients of the Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) programs in Ukraine during wartime.
Method
The study (pragmatic trial) was designed as an experiment with two intervention groups (for SH+ and PM+) and one control group (waiting list). The GAD-7, PHQ-9, LEC-5, and PCL-5 scales were used for the outcomes’ screening three times (before, immediately after, and three months after the intervention). In addition, the number of missed visits on-site for medication in the last month was counted, and dose satisfaction was assessed. Data were collected from April to October 2023 (during the second year of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine) at OAT centers in Lviv, Sumy, and Vinnytsia.
Results
Both interventions showed promising improvements in mental health outcomes within their groups, though no statistically significant differences were observed between intervention and control groups. The SH+ showed additional benefits, a decrease in missed medication doses, and a reduction in PTSD and depression symptoms.
Conclusions
The findings demonstrate the potential for scalable psychological interventions to be integrated into OAT programs to address the dual challenges of mental health and OAT adherence in resource-limited and crisis-affected settings.
Funding text :
The article is based on the results of the study performed by the State Institution ‘Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine’ within the program of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, ‘Accelerating Progress in Reducing the Burden of Tuberculosis and HIV Infection in Ukraine’, in accordance with the Grant Agreement between the Public Health Center of Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria No. 1936 of 04 December 2020. The donor was not involved in the study design, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, or the preparation of the article. No funding was received for the article preparation, and no funding was obtained for the publication fee.
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