# Reducing stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms via a family-centered preventative intervention for immigrants: A randomized controlled feasibility trial

> **NIH NIH R34** · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST · 2022 · $199,241

## Abstract

Summary
Immigrants living in the U.S. are more vulnerable to mental health problems than the general population, and
mental health disorders top the list of the most costly medical conditions. Stress associated with attempts to
integrate into a new culture with social isolation and limited communication is linked to mental health outcomes
among immigrants. Existing mental health interventions for immigrants are largely based on treatment models
to improve the access and quality of care for those with diagnosed mental health problems, however culturally
tailored preventative behavioral interventions aimed at reducing stress among immigrants are limited. For
prevention, culturally-tailored interventions that address psycho-socio-cultural stressors hold the most promise.
Our objectives in this application are: a) to adapt and culturally modify Problem Management Plus (PMP), an
evidence-based intervention developed by World Health Organization, to develop Problem Management Plus
for Immigrants (PMP-I) as a family-based preventative intervention and b) to test the feasibility, acceptability,
and preliminary outcomes (stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms) of PMP-I with trained community facilitators.
We plan to adapt PMP to include multi-component, psychoeducation, behavioral activation, and mind-body
intervention that are appropriate to reduce chronic stress of immigrants. We will adapt and culturally modify
PMP to develop our PMP-I by adding an educational session on stress management and communication skills,
behavioral activation on coping mechanisms, provision of social support, and yoga. PMP-I is a peer-led,
culturally-tailored psychoeducation, behavioral activation, breathing and yoga intervention delivered in family
settings over a 5-week period. This project will take place with a Bhutanese community in Western, MA upon
their request and identified need of mental health problem due to their emotional distress and social isolation in
our pilot community based participatory research. Our strong community network and interdisciplinary research
team is in place to empower community member as interventionists, supervisors, and research assistants
through providing extensive training. Trained community interventionists will deliver 5-week PMP-I to interested
adults aged 18 and older in 58 families and will distribute support services pamphlets to another 58 families,
which will be allocated randomly. Research assistants will collect information on outcomes, and other variables
at baseline, post-intervention, and three-month after intervention. We will collect hair samples for cortisol
measurement (baseline, 3-mth post intervention) and process it at the UMass Amherst laboratory. The
preliminary effect of the intervention on outcomes will be analyzed using multilevel modelling. We will discuss
and interview interventionists and participants to measure the feasibility and acceptability of PMP-I. At the
completion of this project, we will have develope...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10410484
- **Project number:** 5R34MH118396-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
- **Principal Investigator:** Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $199,241
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2024-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10410484

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10410484, Reducing stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms via a family-centered preventative intervention for immigrants: A randomized controlled feasibility trial (5R34MH118396-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10410484. Licensed CC0.

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