Abstract
BackgroundLatest research demonstrates a significant improvement in stress-related symptoms in psychological disorders as a result of exercise training (ET). Controlled clinical trials further validate the significance of ET by demonstrating lower salivary cortisol levels in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after intervention. A significant change in cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels can already be found after an 8–12-week ET program. The proposed study aims to investigate the impact of an 8-week ET on PTSD symptoms and changes in cortisol levels in a juvenile refugee sample from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at an Ugandan refugee settlement. It is the first to implement an ET intervention in a resource-poor, post-conflict setting.Methods/designIn a randomized controlled trial, 198 adolescent participants aged 13–16 years from the DRC who, suffer from PTSD, will be investigated. The participants are based at the Nakivale refugee settlement, an official refugee camp in Uganda, Africa, which is among the largest in the world. The participants will be randomized into an Exercise Training (ET) group with a maximum heart rate (HRmax) of > 60%, an Alternative Intervention (AI) group with low-level exercises, and a Waiting-list Control (WC) group. After the 8-week interventional phase, changes in cortisol awakening response (CAR) and DHEA in the ET group that correspond to an improvement in PTSD symptoms are expected that remain at follow-up after 3 months.DiscussionTo date, there is no controlled and reliable longitudinal study examining the effects of an ET program on symptom severity in individuals with PTSD that can be explained with a harmonization of cortisol secretion. The presented study design introduces an intervention that can be implemented with little expenditure. It aims to provide a promising low-threshold and cost-effective treatment approach for the application in resource-poor settings.Trial registrationGerman Trials Register, ID: DRKS00014280. Registered prospectively on 15 March 2018.
Highlights
Latest research demonstrates a significant improvement in stress-related symptoms in psychological disorders as a result of exercise training (ET)
To date, there is no controlled and reliable longitudinal study examining the effects of an Exercise Training (ET) program on symptom severity in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that can be explained with a harmonization of cortisol secretion
This study is designed to investigate the effects of an ET program on the cortisol levels and symptoms of young individuals with PTSD
Summary
Latest research demonstrates a significant improvement in stress-related symptoms in psychological disorders as a result of exercise training (ET). With more than 22.5 million refugees worldwide and over 65 million people being forcibly displaced [1], the provision of health services to these populations is among the world’s most significant and challenging endeavors These numbers are even more alarming when one considers that nine of the top ten hosting countries are not Western countries but mostly low- and middle-income countries [1]. The present research initiative, focuses on Exercise Training (ET) as a promising way to administer cost-effective and low-threshold group-intervention approaches It will be administered in a refugee settlement in Uganda, a low-income country that is currently the world’s number-eight host country for refugees escaping violent crises in neighboring countries, in particular the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) [1]
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