Leading Partner

University of Queen Mary, London, UK.

Other Partners

University of Skopje, University of Sarajevo, University of Podgorica, University of Prishtina, University of Belgrade

Staff

Aliriza Arënliu, Dashamir Bërxulli, Fitim Uka & Jon Konjufca

Funding Source

Horizon 2020, European Commission

Project Description

This is a multisite project that includes Kosovo and funded by Horizon2020 mechanisms. IMPULSE aims to facilitate the development of effective community-based mental health care in these countries by implementing an evidence-based, easily deliverable, affordable and cost-saving intervention called DIALOG+. The intervention is a technology-assisted and based on patient-centered communication, quality of life research and solution-focused therapy. It was designed to make routine meetings between clinicians and patients structured, comprehensive and more therapeutically effective. DIALOG+ is effective in reducing clinical symptoms, improving quality of life and reducing treatment costs.

Leading Partner

University of Basel. Partners: University of Prishtina

Staff

Jon Konjufca, Aliriza Arënliu

Funding Source

Botnar Foundation, Switzerland

Project Description

The prevalence of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in adolescents is estimated between 1-3%. BPD is associated with severe impairments in social, occupational, and other areas of functioning posing a high economic burden on society. The age criterion, which restricted the diagnosis Globally, research on diagnosis and treatment of PD in adolescents is lacking behind and health care systems are not well prepared for the described shift in paradigm.It is difficult/impossible for health care workers from lower-resource settings to participate in research and clinical initiatives. The new developments will, therefore, likely not disseminate to these settings. Because of the lack of participation, solutions developed do not consider the specific context of lower-resource settings and will, therefore, be even more difficult to implement. The core activity will be the development and implementation of a software (SW) which can strongly facilitate data related issues for clinical and research purposes at the same time. The combination of both these aspects in one tool is, in our view, the key to free resources for participation in scientific activities meanwhile improving clinical routine.

Leading Partner

Department of Psychology

Partners

Psychiatric Clinic, University Clinic Prishtina, Psychiatric Clinic, University Clinic Skopje, North Macedonia

Staff

Aliriza Arënliu, Jon Konjufca

Funding Source

Fogarty Fund, National Institute of Mental Health, US through University of Illinois in Chicago

Project Description

The aim of the project is development and evaluation of intervention combining attention bias modification (ABM) and rumination-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (RFCBT) that aims to reduce depressive symptoms among psychiatric patients in an LMIC setting. Our prior work with a non-clinical sample indicates that ruminations can be studied through their associated attentional biases and that specifically ruminations are associated with negative attention biases regardless of depression. Aim 1 is to develop a combined intervention of attentional bias modification (8 sessions) and RFCBT intervention (8 session) and pilot its intervention by training 2 clinicians. Aim 2 Screen 30 patients using eye tracker as measure for attention bias, battery of questionnaires and assign randomly 12 patients to treatment with ABM, 12 patients to treatment with ABM and RFCBT treatment and analyze differences among groups in terms of depression and other relevant symptoms, wellbeing variables immediately following treatment and 3 months following treatment. The project proposes to reduce the negative attention bias and ruminative thoughts among depressive patients through novel intervention of combining attention bias modification and CBT on ruminative thinking and automatic thoughts that is based on previous evidence from literature. Project explores the possibility of developing low-cost interventions in LMICs

Leading partner

University of Illinois in Chicago, US.

Partners

Medeniyet Universitesi, Istanbul, Center for Global Health, Prishtina

Staff

Aliriza Arënliu

Funding Source

Fogarty Fund, National Institute of Mental Helath, US

Project Description

This new R21 application responds to PAR-17-313 by developing and pilot testing a novel model for helping urban refugee families in LMICs with little to no access to evidence-based mental health services, by delivering a transdiagnostic family intervention for common mental disorders in health sector and non-health sector settings. The proposed project is located in Istanbul, Turkey. Aim 1 forms a Family Support Design Team (FSDT) to adopt the PM+ and CAFES manuals into a family support (FS) intervention for use with refugee families by lay providers in community sites and nurses in clinical sites using a four-session multiple family group format. Aim 2 pilots FS with families in community and clinical sites, and then through observations and qualitative interviews, assesses FS’s feasibility, fidelity, the impact of context and local capacity, the experiences of intervention delivery, and practitioner and organizational perspectives on scale up. Aim 3 conducts pre, immediate post, and 3-month post assessments of the refugee families who received FS through all the sites, to demonstrate the kind of pre-post changes that have been reported for comparable interventions and to determine key parameters of interest with sufficient accuracy and precision. Project collaborators include the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Medeniyet University, the Centre for Global Health at the University of Prishtina and 3 community and 3 clinical organizations in Istanbul.

Leading Partner

University of Upper Austria, Linz

Staff

Aliriza Arënliu

Funding Source

Erasmus

Project Description

The research project evaluated the effectiveness of a short and ultra-short version of the ViSC Social Competence Program that was implemented in nine Kosovar schools. The ViSC program aims to empower adolescents to recognize bullying and to intervene in bullying situations. A quasi-experimental longitudinal control group design was realized to examine the effectiveness of the two program versions regarding different forms of self-reported perpetration and victimization.

Leading Partner

University of Illinois, Chicago.

Partners

Koc University, Istanbul, Center for Global Health, Prishtina

Staff

Aliriza Arenliu, Jon Konjufca

Funding Source

Fogarty Fund, National Institute of Mental Heath, US

Project Description

According to research data, an estimated 2.7 million Syrian refugees were living in Turkey, of which only 10% live in state sponsored refugee camps. This is the largest refugee crisis since the end of WWII and it is far from ending. There is scarce information on how Syrian refugee families and individuals cope with displacement stressors as part of the conflict in Syria. The overall purpose of this study is to describe the impact of multilevel displacement related stressors on the psychosocial wellbeing and coping mechanisms of Syrian refugee families in Istanbul, Turkey. The specific aims are: Aim 1: By using qualitative methods (initial and 6-month follow-up family interviews), characterize the multilevel displacement-related stressors that mediate and/or moderate the adaptation and psychosocial wellbeing of 30 Syrian refugee families living in Turkey. Aim 2: By using qualitative methods (initial and 6-month follow-up family interviews), characterize the coping mechanisms and strategies employed by these 30 Syrian refugee families living in Turkey to deal with the multilevel displacement related stressors. Aim 3: Organize a consensus-building workshop with representatives of community organizations working with Syrian refugees in Istanbul, review findings from Aim 1 and Aim 2, and draft a consensus framework to inform programs and policies working with Syrian refugee families in Turkey and other host countries.