Internet-based treatment of depression and anxiety among migrants and refugees in Sweden

Sammanfattning: There is a growing number of refugees and displaced persons worldwide, with many suffering the psychological consequences of traumatic and stressful events occurring both in their country of origin, during the migratory journey and after arriving in a new country. Despite this, there is limited evidence on how to best help refugees and migrants with the mental health problems that they sometimes experience. Internet-based interventions show promise in the treatment of many common mental disorders and can be adapted into different languages. The aim of the present thesis was to investigate the usefulness and efficacy of internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT) for migrants and refugees in Sweden suffering from depression and anxiety.The studies in the thesis showed that both self-guided and therapist-guided ICBT can be acceptable interventions for Arabic-speaking adults with mild to moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety. In addition, support was also found for the efficacy of therapist-guided ICBT. However, with regards to Dari/Farsi speaking youth, it was found that the structure of the delivery format constituted a major barrier. Future studies should investigate if a blended treatment format can increase acceptance of ICBT for this population.