6 Years After The Refugee Crisis-Which Digital Interventions Are Available For Refugee Populations With Mental Illnesses?

Background Many refugees, particularly those who arrived in Germany since 2015, are affected by mental disorders; however, due to language barriers and limited entitlement to healthcare, their access to psychotherapeutic interventions is difficult. Objective An illustrative overview of digital interventions for refugees with mental illnesses is given and the effectiveness is discussed. Challenges of digital interventions are presented. Material and methods Meta-analyses and review articles on digital interventions for immigrants and refugees worldwide as well as their reference lists, were searched for relevant interventions. Additionally, app stores were searched. Interventions were included if (1) they were digital interventions that (2) primarily targeted refugees in Germany, (3) were in Arabic or Persian language and (4) were currently available. Results and conclusion Currently, one guided and eight unguided interventions for refugees for treatment of, e.g. posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety disorders, are available as an app or web application. Only two of these interventions have already been evaluated and only one intervention could demonstrate a reduction of the primary symptoms. High drop-out rates pose a challenge in digital care of refugees.