Internet-based treatment of depressive symptoms in a Kurdish population: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: Kurdish immigrants in Sweden have a doubled risk of mental health problems, and refugee and immigrant populations underutilize mental health services. The present study investigated the efficacy of culturally adapted guided internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (ICBT) for depressive symptoms in a Kurdish population.

METHOD: We included 50 individuals who were randomized to either an 8-week treatment or a wait-list. The Beck Depression Inventory-II was the primary outcome measure, and measures of anxiety and insomnia were secondary outcomes.

RESULTS: Depressive symptoms were significantly reduced (intention-to-treat analysis) in the treatment group, with a between-group effect size at posttreatment of Cohen's d = 1.27. Moderate to large between-group effects were also observed on all secondary outcome measures. Treatment effects were sustained at 11-month follow-up.

CONCLUSION: The results provide preliminary support for culturally adapted ICBT as a complement to other treatment formats for treating symptoms of depression in a Kurdish population.