Intervening on common mental health problems of detainees: A three-phase pilot study

• In Event: Prison Working Group: Mental health in prisons

Abstract

Mental disorders are common among detainees, also in the Netherlands. More than the average Dutch person they for example have a common mental disorder, such as depression and/or anxiety disorder. Different types of care are available in prison - from psychologists to psychiatrists. Unfortunately, the recognition, treatment and help-seeking behaviour of detainees with common mental health problems lag behind. Reasons for this include stigma and a lack of prison staff trained in recognising and treating these symptoms. The PROSPER project aims to investigate whether Problem Management Plus (PM+) could be a feasible and acceptable intervention in Dutch prisons to reduce these common mental health problems. PM+ is a psychological intervention based on cognitive behavioural techniques and was developed by the World Health Organization. PM+ is scalable: it involves techniques taught in five sessions by a PM+ helper, a trained layperson. Previous research on PM+ in other target groups has shown that PM+ can, among others, reduce anxiety, depression and trauma symptoms. In the study’s first phase, PM+ is contextually adapted to the Dutch prison setting. Interviews with professionals and ex-prisoners provide input for these adaptations. Then, in phase two, a pilot randomised controlled trial studies the intervention (N=60). The third phase includes a process evaluation, combining qualitative and quantitative research techniques. An outline of the preliminary findings of phase one and the design of other phases will be set out.

Authors

• Mathilde van Oudenaren, NSCR / Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

• Anke Witteveen, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

• Anja Dirkzwager, NSCR

• Marit Sijbrandij, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam