2023 ACBS Foundation Grant

2023 Grant Recipient:

Dafne Morroni, Clinical Psychology PhD Candidate of the University of Cyprus (Nicosia, Cyprus) and her supervisor (Dr. Maria Karekla) are proud to be the recipients of the 2023 ACBS Foundation Grant for Miss Morroni’s PhD research on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with Unaccompanied Minors.  

For this project, the Self-Help Plus (SH+) protocol (World Health Organization, 2021) which has been successfully implemented in adult refugees, was adapted for adolescents from 13- 18 years old. A four-week ACT group intervention is currently being carried out with unaccompanied minors in shelters in major cities across the country. It is anticipated that the ACT group intervention will improve the minors’ psychological wellbeing, augment prosocial behaviour, and enhance quality of life. The Foundation Grant will be funding translation and printing of therapy materials as well as interpreters for the intervention. The Foundation Grant will aid in establishing feasibility and acceptability of ACT in unaccompanied minors. We hope that the support of the Foundation Grant will lead to increased interest and funding resources for future research with this underserved and vulnerable population.

Grant Report - May 2024

Unaccompanied minors (UM) are a highly vulnerable refugee subgroup as they face several challenges at a critical point in their physical and psychosocial development without the support of a parent or caregiver. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is effective for the treatment of trauma survivors and for vulnerable refugee groups. Although ACT is theoretically pertinent to the refugee population, the empirical evidence is still in its infancy.

The present project investigated whether ACT would be beneficial to UM in shelters in Cyprus. Prior to commencing the project, a systematic review and qualitative research synthesis examined the evidence of effectiveness and acceptability of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and third-wave approaches (i.e., ACT) in improving the quality of life and psychological symptoms of UM. Third wave studies showed preliminary evidence for improvements in psychological flexibility and mindfulness in UM, as well as improvements in psychological symptoms. The qualitative synthesis demonstrated that CBT and third wave interventions are acceptable, create safety and cultivate a sense of togetherness in UM.  

Based on the findings from the systematic review, a cluster randomized controlled trial was carried out in six shelters across Cyprus. 101 UM participated in the trial (49 males, 52 females), aged between 13 and 18 years old (M age=15.97, SD=1.23). Shelters were randomly assigned to either a four-session ACT-based treatment group or wait-list control group. Participants completed self-report measures at pre-intervention, post-intervention, 1-month, and 3-months follow-up. Self-report measures assessed quality of life, psychological flexibility, psychological symptoms. Statistically significant improvements were observed for psychological flexibility at post-intervention and 1-month follow-up in the treatment group. Statistically significant improvements were also observed for stress, anxiety, and depression in both the treatment and control groups. Gender differences were also observed in this study. Specifically, female UM seemed to drive the changes observed in the treatment group for psychological flexibility, indicating initial evidence of gender differences in this population.