Psychological flexibility in South Sudanese female refugees in Uganda as a mechanism for change within a guided self-help intervention

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Daniel P. Lakin
  • Samuel E. Cooper
  • Andersen, Lena Skovgaard
  • Felicity L. Brown
  • Jura L.S. Augustinavicius
  • Kenneth Carswell
  • Marx Leku
  • Alex Adaku
  • Teresa Au
  • Richard Bryant
  • Claudia Garcia-Moreno
  • Ross G. White
  • Tol, Wietse Anton

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of psychological flexibility as a potential mediator in the relationship between involvement in a guided self-help intervention, Self-Help Plus, and psychological distress in a sample of South Sudanese refugee women living in northern Uganda. METHOD: We conducted secondary analysis of data from a cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 2018. We used multilevel mediation modeling to explore the relationship of psychological flexibility, as measured by the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), as a mediating factor in the relationship between Self-Help Plus involvement and general psychological distress as measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-6 (K6). RESULTS: We found strong multilevel mediation of decreased K6 scores in the treatment group by AAQ-II scores (multilevel b = -3.28). A more pronounced mediation effect was discovered immediately post intervention (b = -1.09) compared to 3-month follow-up (b = -0.84). This is in line with the current literature that demonstrates the role of psychological flexibility as a primary mechanism of change in ACT-based interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological flexibility is a contributing component in the theory of change for this ACT-based intervention. Identifying the core components of interventions allows for more effective adaptation and implementation of relevant services, especially in low-resource contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Volume91
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)6-13
Number of pages8
ISSN0022-006X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

ID: 338412466