Felicity L BrownWar Child Holland · Research and Development
Felicity L Brown
PhD, MPsychClin
About
57
Publications
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1,115
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Citations since 2017
Introduction
Publications
Publications (57)
Background:
Globally, there is a vast mental health treatment gap, whereby the majority of adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries requiring mental health services, do not have access to adequate care. To improve access, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a range of interventions, designed to be low-cost and delivered by...
Populations affected by armed conflict and other humanitarian crises are at elevated risk for mental health problems. While the COVID-19 pandemic has had broadly deleterious effects on livelihoods, economic well-being, and population health worldwide, vulnerable groups have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Providing mental health a...
Background: Syrian refugees have a high burden of mental health symptoms and face challenges in accessing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS). This study assesses health system responsiveness (HSR) to the MHPSS needs of Syrian refugees, comparing countries in Europe and the Middle East to inform recommendations for strengthening MHPSS sy...
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...
Background: Local children with developmental disabilities were deprived of learning opportunities due to recent social and health incidents, resulting in elevating challenging behaviors and familial conflicts. This study explored the acceptability and feasibility of the World Health Organization's Caregiver Skills Training Programme (WHO CST) in a...
Background
Millions of young adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) affected by humanitarian crises experience elevated rates of poor mental health. There is a need for scalable programs that can improve the mental health of young adolescents. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a nonspecialist delivered group-based intervent...
Introduction:
The World Health Organization's (WHO) scalable psychological interventions, such as Problem Management Plus (PM+) and Step-by-Step (SbS) are designed to be cost-effective non-specialist delivered interventions to reduce symptoms of common mental disorders, such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The STR...
Background
Adolescents growing up in communities characterised by adversity face multiple risk factors for poor mental health and wellbeing. There is currently a scarcity of research on effective approaches for preventing and treating psychological distress in this population, particularly in humanitarian settings. The powerful impact of the home e...
Introduction: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has a rapidly developing evidence base, with few studies in the developing world or humanitarian context. A recent trial of a guided self-help intervention derived from ACT reported significant positive findings, but the extent to which the central principles of this intervention were maintained...
Evaluations of education technology (ed tech) interventions in humanitarian settings are scarce. We present a proof-of-concept study of Can't Wait to Learn, a digital game-based learning program that combines an experiential, active learning design with meaningful, competency-appropriate, and contextually relevant content. We assessed the feasibili...
Background
Most refugees are less than 18 years and at heightened risk of common mental disorders (CMDs) relative to other youth. Limited evidence exists for psychosocial programsfor youth in low-resource settings. Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) was developed by the World Health Organization to address this gap.
Objectives
This study...
Background
Globally, there is a large documented gap between needs of families and children with developmental disorders and available services. We adapted the World Health Organization’s mental health Gap-Intervention Guidelines (mhGAP-IG) developmental disorders module into a tablet-based android application to train caregivers of children with d...
Background: Community participation in health responses in humanitarian crises is increasingly promoted by humanitarian actors to support adoption of measures that are relevant and effective to local needs. Our aim was to understand the role of community participation in humanitarian health responses for conflict-affected populations (including for...
Innovations are needed to address the global issue of access to high-quality education, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This paper shows quasi-experimental evidence that a digital game-based learning programme (‘Can’t Wait to Learn’) led to significantly greater improvements in mathematics competency, Arabic literacy competency, a...
Background:
A large mental health treatment gap exists among conflict-affected populations, and Syrian refugees specifically. Promising brief psychological interventions for conflict-affected populations exist such as the World Health Organization's Problem Management Plus (PM+) and the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) intervention, how...
Aging is associated with reduced conscious error detection but the brain regions mediating these changes have yet to be identified. The current study examined the neural correlates of error awareness in healthy older adults. Sixteen older participants (mean age = 75.5 years) and sixteen younger controls (mean age = 27.9 years) were administered the...
Armed conflict leads to increased risk of emotional distress among children and adolescents, and increased exposure to significant daily stressors such as poverty and community and family violence. Unfortunately, these increased risks usually occur in the context of largely unavailable mental health services. There is growing empirical support that...
Background:
Innovative solutions are required to provide mental health support at scale in low-resource humanitarian contexts. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a facilitator-guided, group-based, self-help intervention (Self-Help Plus) to reduce psychological distress in female refugees.
Methods:
We did a cluster randomised trial in rural...
Background: Community participation in health responses in humanitarian crises is increasingly promoted by humanitarian actors to support adoption of measures that are relevant and effective to local needs. Our aim was to understand the role of community participation in humanitarian health responses for conflict-affected populations (including for...
Globally, 52.9 million children under the age of 5 experience a developmental disability, such as sensory impairment, intellectual disability, and autism spectrum disorders. Of these 95% live in low-and-middle-income countries. Most of these children lack access to care. In light of the growing evidence that caregivers can learn skills to support t...
Following publication of the original article [1], we have been notified that Figure 1 was published with the track changes. In this Correction the incorrect and correct Fig. 1 are shown.
Background There are significant barriers to accessible, quality mental health care for young adolescents affected by adversity. In an attempt to overcome this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) psychological intervention for young adolescents with internalizing problems. EASE is group...
Background:
There are significant barriers to providing accessible, quality mental health care for young adolescents affected by adversity. In an attempt to overcome this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) psychological intervention for young adolescents with internalising problems. E...
Objectives
Children and youth in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC) are at greater risk for poor mental health. Adverse circumstances including poverty, violence, and lack of available psychological treatments increase their vulnerability. Given the importance of the family environment for child and youth wellbeing, family interventions are a p...
The original version of this article unfortunately contained two mistakes. The presentation of Fig. 2 was incorrect. The corrected version is given below. It has been updated in this corrected version, to reflect accurate information on the frequencies of components present in all 28 treatment manuals. The previously erroneously published figure co...
Background There are significant barriers to accessible, quality mental health care for young adolescents affected by adversity. In an attempt to overcome this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) psychological intervention for young adolescents with internalizing problems. EASE is group...
Background There are significant barriers to accessible, quality mental health care for young adolescents affected by adversity. In an attempt to overcome this, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed the Early Adolescent Skills for Emotions (EASE) psychological intervention for young adolescents with internalizing problems. EASE is group...
Background
Suicide is a major global health concern. Bhutanese refugees resettled in the USA are disproportionately affected by suicide, yet little research has been conducted to identify factors contributing to this vulnerability. This study aims to investigate the issue of suicide of Bhutanese refugee communities via an in-depth qualitative, soci...
Despite the burden of substance misuse in conflict-affected populations, prevention and treatment services are often unavailable or neglected in policy and public health practice. This chapter reviews: (1) the epidemiology of substance misuse; (2) evidence for treatment and prevention services; and (3) implementation considerations for substance us...
Background
Exposure to armed conflict and forced displacement constitute significant risks for mental health. Existing evidence-based psychological interventions have limitations for scaling-up in low-resource humanitarian settings. The WHO has developed a guided self-help intervention, Self Help Plus (SH+), which is brief, implemented by non-speci...
Background
In this period of unprecedented levels of displacement, scalable interventions are needed to address mental health concerns of forced migrants in low-resource settings. This paper describes the adaptation and piloting of a guided, multi-media, self-help intervention, Self-Help Plus (SH+), which was developed to reduce psychological distr...
Implementing evidence-based psychological interventions in low-resource refugee settings is challenging, because of the need for an extensive workforce of trainers, supervisors and facilitators 1,2. Self-Help Plus (SH+) was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a tool potentially applicable in those settings 3. SH+ is a guided self-he...
One in ten children globally lives in an area affected by armed conflict. Armed conflict has both direct and indirect effects on children’s social, emotional, and educational outcomes, and impacts can occur at multiple levels of the child’s ecosystem- the individual, family, community, and society. This chapter will provide an overview of the impac...
Objective:
To evaluate the feasibility and psychosocial outcomes of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based group resilience training program for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Research Method/Design: The study used a pre-post group intervention design with 3-month follow-up. The intervention consisted of 8 group sessions of 2.5 h...
Background:
Globally, one in 10 children live in regions affected by armed conflict. Children exposed to armed conflict are vulnerable to social and emotional difficulties, along with disrupted educational and occupational opportunities. Most armed conflicts occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where mental health systems are limited...
Consistent with its recommendations for stress management interventions1, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a new psychological intervention for managing stress and coping with adversity. This new intervention is intended to be relevant for coping with any type of adversity, including chronic poverty, endemic community and gender‐ba...
Children and families affected by HIV merit special attention by policymakers, health workers, and researchers. HIV-related stressors, family functioning, and child mental health are inextricably linked and can be addressed via family-based preventive interventions. The FSI-HIV is a promising intervention to promote resilience and prevent mental he...
This mixed methods analysis of an RCT of the FSI-HIV captures the experiences of participants and potential positive effects that home-visiting interventions may have on caregiver alcohol use and behavior, family dynamics and child mental health.
HIV-affected families report higher rates of harmful alcohol use, intimate partner violence (IPV) and
family conflict, which can have detrimental effects on children. Few evidence-based interventions
exist to address these complex issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. This mixed methods study explores the
potential of a family-based intervention to reduce...
The present study explored the targeting of a preventative information provision intervention delivered to children following accidental injury by assessing the impact of initial traumatic distress on response to treatment. Analyses were based on baseline and 6-month outcome of child traumatic stress in a control (n = 28) and an intervention group...
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a behavioural family intervention, Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP), combined with an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) workshop in improving parent, family and couple outcomes following paediatric acquired brain injury (ABI). Participants and setting: Fifty-nine parents (90% mothers) of children (mean ag...
The present study explored the targeting of a preventative information provision intervention delivered to children following accidental injury by assessing the impact of initial traumatic distress on response to treatment. Analyses were based on baseline and 6-month outcome of child traumatic stress in a control (n = 28) and an intervention group...
Child brain injury can lead to diminished quality of life and enduring sequelae, including significant emotional-behavioural, cognitive academic, occupational, physical and social deficits (Taylor et al., 2002; Jordan, 2006; Anderson et al., 2011). Improvements in neuropsychological and motor functioning are common over time postinjury; however, be...
Objective To consider the relationship of parental experiential avoidance (EA) to psychological symptoms and problematic parenting
strategies after pediatric acquired brain injury (ABI). Methods Using available data from a randomized controlled trial of a group-based Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) workshop
plus a behavioral family interven...
Background: Persistent post-concussion symptoms (PCS) are associated with adverse psychosocial outcomes, including psychological distress and poorer health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Research has found that the occurrence of persistent PCS can be lowered via paper-based psychoeducation. Unfortunately, these resources have mostly been evaluate...
Background:
Persistent behavioural difficulties are common following paediatric acquired brain injury (ABI). Parents and families also experience heightened stress, psychological symptoms and burden, and there is evidence of a reciprocal relationship between parent and child functioning, which may be mediated by the adoption of maladaptive parenti...
Objective:
To qualitatively explore the experiences, challenges and needs of parents of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in order to inform future intervention research through incorporation of participant knowledge and experience.
Methods:
Parents of children with TBI (n = 10) and experienced health professionals in paediatric rehabil...
Paediatric acquired brain injury (ABI) is the most common cause of acquired disability in childhood. It frequently results in significant personality, cognitive, emotional and behavioural changes, and consequent impairment in independent functioning, education, employment and interpersonal relationships. Additionally, paediatric ABI impacts on the...
Objective:
To evaluate the efficacy of parenting interventions on child and parent behavioral and emotional outcomes for parents of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Methods:
Systematic searches of 5 databases. Included studies were assessed for quality, and relevant data were extracted and collated.
Results:
Eight articles met inclu...
We aimed to determine the developmental trajectory for the 'thin ideal' by evaluating discrepancies in objective ratings of female body attractiveness and normality in a sample of children and adults. One hundred and sixty Australian middle class male and female participants from four different age groups (range: 4-26 years) viewed sets of photos d...
Punishing an error to shape subsequent performance is a major tenet of individual and societal level behavioral interventions. Recent work examining error-related neural activity has identified that the magnitude of activity in the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC) is predictive of learning from an error, whereby greater activity in this regio...
Projects
Projects (4)
To develop and test the feasibility and implementation of a systemic family intervention with vulnerable families in Jordan. This project will be responsive to stressors faced by vulnerable families in Jordan, including consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The output will be a culturally relevant and feasible family intervention that addresses stressors faced by vulnerable families in Jordan, for implementation in the next phases, and translated and adapted outcome measures to assess the implementation and effectiveness.
To develop and evaluate a systemic family-focused intervention module that can be added to existing child-focussed psychosocial programming, with the aim of enhancing and maintaining impacts on child mental health and wellbeing.
The Caregiver Skills Training Program (CST) is a novel, open-access parent-mediated program for neurodevelopmental disorders and delays, including autism. It was developed by WHO with support from Autism Speaks through systematic literature reviews and expert consultation to meet feasibility criteria for implementation at scale in low-resource settings.
