The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a multiple-family group in increasing access to mental health services for refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study investigated a nine-session multiple-family group called Coffee and Families Education and Support with refugee families from Bosnia-Herzegovina in Chicago. Adults with PTSD (n = 197) and their families were randomly assigned to receive either the intervention or a control condition. The results indicated that a multiple-family group was effective in increasing access to mental health services and that depression and family comfort with discussing trauma mediated the intervention effect. Further well-designed studies of family interventions are needed for developing evidence-based interventions for refugee families.
This study investigated family factors and processes involved in Bosnian refugees engaging in multiple-family support and education groups in Chicago. Families that engaged experienced more transitions, more traumas, and more difficulties in adjustment. Engagement strategies for multiple-family groups should correspond with the underlying family processes by which refugee families manage transitions, traumas, and adjustment difficulties.
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