Psychological Support for Ukrainian Refugees in Germany

Last registered on November 22, 2023

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Psychological Support for Ukrainian Refugees in Germany

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0012214

Initial registration date

November 10, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

November 18, 2023, 5:50 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated

November 22, 2023, 4:21 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name

Luc BEHAGHEL

Affiliation

Paris School of Economics - INRA

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Alexandra Avdeenko

PI Affiliation

World Bank, Heidelberg University

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PI Name

Andreas Ette

PI Affiliation

German Federal Institute for Population Research

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PI Name

Katharina Spieß

PI Affiliation

German Federal Institute for Population Research

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PI Name

Artur Obminski

PI Affiliation

Paris School of Economics

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PI Name

Yagan Hazard

PI Affiliation

Collegio Carlo Alberto, University of Turin

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PI Name

Nicolas Rüsch

PI Affiliation

University of Ulm

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PI Name

Alexander Moldavski

PI Affiliation

Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim

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PI Name

Esther Duflo

PI Affiliation

MIT

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Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2023-11-13

End date

2025-08-31

Keywords

Behavior, Health

Additional Keywords

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

Poor mental health among displaced populations is a widespread problem. Even where psychiatric help is available, uptake is limited by fear of stigma, and shame as well as by informational and language barriers. This randomized controlled experiment evaluates a within-survey experiment with anti-stigma messaging and information in two videos, one featuring well-known celebrities and one featuring a relatable refugee speaking from personal experience. The intervention focuses on Ukrainian refugees in Germany, a large group of displaced individuals with extensive access to digital services, and in a context where both cost and language barriers to access mental health support services are low. The study aims to test whether videos addressing possible information gaps and stigma impact attitudes vis-à-vis mental health, increase help-seeking and the uptake of mental health support among these populations, and whether this has an impact on labor market participation and health. More specifically, the evaluated intervention puts two elements together. First, a hotline run by Ukrainian-speaking psychotherapists provides an accessible gate of entry to available mental health care. Second, videos displayed within the already existing online panel survey “Ukrainian Refugees in Germany (BiB/FReDA-Study)" encourage help-seeking behavior and refer to the hotline. Our research is primarily designed to measure which video leads to more engagement with the hotline and to changes in attitudes on mental health and perceived barriers to help-seeking.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Avdeenko, Alexandra et al. 2023. "Psychological Support for Ukrainian Refugees in Germany." AEA RCT Registry. November 22. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12214-2.1

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

The evaluated intervention puts two elements together. First, a hotline run by Ukrainian-speaking psychotherapists provides an accessible gate of entry to available mental health care. Second, videos encourage help-seeking behavior and refer to the hotline.

The two videos are in Ukrainian language. They end with the same sequence where a psychologist based in Mannheim provides information on the hotline: that in-person quality care in the Ukrainian language is accessible through the hotline, that the German health insurance covers it, and that it comes with strong privacy guarantees provided by German law.
They distinguish themselves by the initial sequence:
- The first video features celebrities (celebrity video) that invite speaking to others about emotional problems, and to seek help;
- The second features a Ukrainian woman who tells about her experience of receiving mental health care in Mannheim, and inviting to seek help (relatable peer video).

Intervention Start Date

2023-11-13

Intervention End Date

2024-05-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

1.) Help-seeking behavior: calls to the hotline 2.) Attitudes on mental health and perceived barriers to help-seeking. 3). Mental health care, well-being, labor market outcomes.

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Our experiment takes place within the already existing probability-based online panel survey “Ukrainian Refugees in Germany (BiB/FReDA-Study)". Based on Germany’s population registers, it includes 5000 Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Germany within the first months after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022. Three months before the fourth wave of the panel, we will run a short 10-minute questionnaire. As part of the questionnaire, two randomized treatment groups will watch either the celebrity (T1) or the relatable peer video (T2), while the control group (C) will watch no video. After watching the videos, each group will be asked about attitudes to mental health and help-seeking, and they will be given a phone number to call the platform (a different number for T1 and T2). This provides direct evidence on steps on the relative effect of the two videos on mental health help-seeking behavior. In addition, we will follow the three groups in later panel waves, providing us with measures of help-seeking behavior beyond the platform, well-being, labor market participation, and livelihoods.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

The sample consists of respondents in the “Ukrainian Refugees in Germany (BiB/FReDA-Study)” coordinated by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). The sample will be individually randomized by a computer into three equal share groups: one treatment group watching the celebrity video, the second treatment group watching the relatable peer, and the third watching no video.

Randomization Unit

The sample will be individually randomized into three equal share groups: one treatment group watching the celebrity video, the second treatment group watching the relatable peer, and the third watching no video or a placebo video.

Was the treatment clustered?