Intervention to Support the Reintegration of Former Combatants and Soldiers

University of Konstanz

Status and phase: Unknown; Phase 3; Phase 2

Conditions: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; Appetitive Aggression

Treatments: Behavioral: NET for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation (FORNET): a variant of Narrative Exposure Therapy; Other: Control group

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01624987

WB_2012

Details and patient eligibility

About

The project aims to investigate if trauma-related disorders and appetitive aggression can be reduced in former ex-combatants in DR Congo when a specific intervention (Narrative Exposure Therapy for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation, FORNET) is delivered by trained local personnel (phase 1). In a second step, the project aims to investigates the treatment success if this specific therapy is carried out by local personnel who have been trained by other local personnel ("train the trainer", phase 2) under the supervision of experts of the University of Konstanz.

Full description

The reintegration of former child soldiers and ex-combatants is a big challenge in war-torn countries. Former child soldiers and ex-combatants often suffer from mental health problems and show enhanced levels of aggression. The present study focuses on the reduction of appetitive aggression and the improvement of mental health in former child soldiers and ex-combatants in DR Congo.

The project consists of four steps:

1. Training of selected DDRRR personnel(first generation)in FORNET (a variant of Narrative Exposure Therapy to treat trauma-related disorders and to reduce appetitive aggression)by experts from the University of Konstanz.
2. Treatment phase 1: Intervention will be carried out by therapists of the first generation. The trained therapists of the first generation will be supervised from the experts of the University of Konstanz.
3. Training of a second generation of DDRRR personnel in FORNET by the therapists of the first generation.
4. Treatment phase 2: Intervention will be carried out by therapists of the second generation. The trained therapists of the second generation will be supervised from the therapists of the first generation.

The study is conceived as a randomized controlled study. In phase 1 and in phase 2, study participants will be randomized allocated to the intervention group (FORNET) and the control group (no intervention). The treatment effect will be measured by pre-post and 6-months follow-up evaluations.

Enrollment: 100 estimated patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 16 to 70 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ex-combatants who live in a transit camp in Goma, Congo.

Exclusion Criteria:

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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100 participants in 1 patient group

NET for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation

Experimental group

Description:

Narrative Exposure Therapy for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation (FORNET)

Treatment:

Behavioral: NET for Forensic Offender Rehabilitation (FORNET): a variant of Narrative Exposure Therapy

Other: Control group