Evaluating a Movement-Based Mental Health Promotion Intervention for Refugee Children in Uganda A Quasi-Experimental Study

Objective: Mental health promotion interventions are widely implemented in humanitarian settings and low- and middle-income contexts (LMICs), yet evidence on effectiveness is scarce and mixed. This study evaluated the movement-based mental health promotion intervention “TeamUp” in Bidibidi refugee settlement, in Northern Uganda.
Method: A quasi-experimental study including four schools (two per arm) assessed the outcomes of 10- to 15-year-old South Sudanese and Ugandan children (n = 549). Randomly allocated, they either participated in up to 11 TeamUp sessions (n = 265) provided by trained facilitators; or belonged to a control group, which continued care as usual (n = 284). Primary outcomes measured psychosocial wellbeing, friendships and attitude to school; secondary outcomes included traumatic distress, depressive symptoms, quality of life, physical health, bullying, interoceptive awareness, and irritability. Data were collected at baseline and endline.
Results: Children joining TeamUp, showed significantly more improvements on primary outcomes: emotional and psychosocial wellbeing (M_diff = −1.49, SE = 0.6, p = .01), satisfaction with and attitude toward school (−0.57, SE = 0.2, p = .004); and secondary outcomes: traumatic stress (2.64, SE = 0.8, p < .001), health-related quality of life (−1.56, SE = 0.4, p = .001), physical health (−0.78, SE = 0.3, p = .014) and the TeamUp mechanisms of action scale (−3.34, SE = 0.9, p < .001), specifically the subscales social connectedness (−0.74, SE = 0.3, p = .007) and sense of agency (−0.91, SE = 0.3, p = .005), compared to the control group. No significant differences were found on bullying, interoceptive awareness, irritability and depressive symptoms.
Conclusion: The results are promising for TeamUp as a mental health promotion intervention for children affected by armed-conflict, displacement and on-going adversity. Further research will need to assess the intervention’s effectiveness.