Planning
Implementation
Completion

Aims and benefits

The study aims to test the effectiveness of the START A1 intervention in the everyday life of traumatized adolescent refugees. Expected effects of the START A1 intervention are the decrease of perceived stress and emotional arousal, an increase in emotion regulation, fewer peer conflicts, and less impulsivity. As all of these treatment goals change rapidly in everyday life (e.g emotional arousal, impulsivity) and occur more frequently under certain instances (e.g. peer conflicts, discrimination, trauma-related experiences), we will use electronic diaries for data assessment. The e-diaries are implemented within a smartphone app, prompting adolescents to answer the assessments several times a day.

  • Testing the effectiveness of the START A1 intervention…
  • Assessing emotions and perceived stress…
  • Identification of stabilizing and destabilizing context factors….

…in everyday life of traumatized adolescent refugees.

Study procedures

The study participants will be recruited and screened for inclusion criteria by the START A1 team. E-diary assessment will take place in parallel to the assessment points of START A1. The following graphic depicts the time course for the intervention group. Assessment of the waiting list control group take place at the same intervals.

To display the effects of the START A1 training effects, data will be collected during one week, before and after the intervention. Two follow-up assessments take place to assess short-term effects of START. A booster- session is introduced to repeat the learned material. After about three months, the last assessment is done to test if the START A1 intervention leads to enduring positive changes in traumatized adolescent refugees.

Baseline Assessment
START group-intervention
8 weeks
Post-assessment T1
4 weeks
Booster-session in week 12
Content learned during training is refreshed
Post-assessment T2
11 weeks
Follow-up assessment T3
one week before the final consultation
1 week
Final consultation

Contact

Dipl.-Psych. S. Koudela-Hamila

susanne.koudela@kit.edu
+49 721 608 42610

Lehrstuhl für Angewandte Psychologie
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
Herztstr. 16, Gebäude 06.31
76187 Karlsruhe

KIT

Coordinators

Prof. U.W. Ebner-Priemer
Dipl.-Psych. S. Koudela-Hamila

Project Duration

Same as START SP1