# Enhancing Capacity for Mental Health Research and Care in Cambodia

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS · 2021 · $602,382

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The agrarian political regime of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia led to the death of nearly 2 million civilians and
residual symptoms of distress among many survivors. Recent estimates indicate that nearly 50% of the general
population exhibits clinically significant symptoms of trauma-related anxiety and/or depression. Targeting of
academic leaders during the genocide further undermined an already vulnerable academic health system
needed to support innovations in mental health research and care. Cambodian leadership is committed to
resolving the existing mental health gap through strategic partnerships, enhanced capacity building, and
adoption of evidence-based treatments (EBT) capable of shifting the trajectory of health and wellness of the
population. This application follows on the heels of a successful Phase I program culminating in a clear vision of
capacity building needs and national research priorities with high potential for local adoption, scale-up, and
sustainability. The proposed application will enrich outcomes from the first phase through completion of three
layered and integrated aims. Specific Aim 1 will strengthen the mental health research capacity across
performance sites utilizing a combination of standardized content for global mental health and professional
development programs tailored for research in Cambodia. Measurable outcomes will support the
conceptualization, implementation, and evaluation of externally funded research projects resulting in high impact
scientific publications. Specific Aim 2 will examine the acceptability and feasibility of trauma-informed care as a
culturally relevant response to trauma exposure. Newly trained and certified research teams led by Cambodian
investigators will employ a mixed methods design to evaluate the Missouri Model of trauma-informed care.
Specific Aim 3 will determine the effectiveness of a culturally-informed, EBT to reduce symptoms of trauma-
related anxiety, depression, and problematic substance use. Preliminary work suggests that the Common
Elements Treatment Approach (CETA), a task-sharing EBT has high potential to improve affective disorders and
substance use disorders in resource restricted environments. However, studies have only examined CETA
administered with ongoing supervision by US-based clinicians. Scale-up and sustainability of CETA in resource
restricted environments requires empirical evidence that CETA is effective when administered by providers
working in the local health system without ongoing case supervision by international partners. Specific Aim 3 will
address this critical issue by comparing CETA modified for independent implementation (mCETA) to standard
CETA (sCETA) and waitlist controls. Professional gains obtained from the structured training opportunities will
be engaged to complete the clinical trial. Collectively, the structured implementation of this Phase II application
will establish a formidable culture of research innovation to address c...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242896
- **Project number:** 5R01MH114722-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Adam Wayne Carrico
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $602,382
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-14 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242896

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242896, Enhancing Capacity for Mental Health Research and Care in Cambodia (5R01MH114722-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242896. Licensed CC0.

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