RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF-REPORTED BODY AWARENESS AND PHYSIOTHERAPISTS´ EVALUATION OF BASIC BODY AWARENESS THERAPY IN REFUGEES WITH PTSD

Jensen J.A.1, Lohmann J.C.2, Nordbrandt M.21Metropolitan University College, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2Mental health services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Competence Center for Transcultural Psychiatry, Copenhagen, DenmarkBackground: The number of refugees who are traumatized and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is increasing in Denmark and Europe. In Denmark, Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) is used by physiotherapists in the rehabilitation of traumatized refugees as a body oriented intervention. A recent pilot study found that BBAT decreased somatic and mental symptoms of PTSD in a group of refugees with this diagnosis (Stade 2015). Further, Bergström et al. (2014) found that patients with chronic pain and low body awareness had no significant changes in body awareness after treatment with BBAT, whereas the group with moderate/high body awareness had a significant change one year after treatment. However, whether there exists a relationship between self-reported body awareness and physiotherapists´ evaluation of the applicability of BBAT on PTSD symptoms is not known.Purpose: This study will examine whether there is a relationship between self-reported body awareness measured by the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) questionnaire and the applicability of BBAT evaluated by physiotherapists in refugees with PTSD.Methods: The present study will include 116 refugees with PTSD. The treatment comprises one hour individual therapy per week for 20 weeks. The test protocol includes MAIA measurements. In the present study physiotherapists will evaluate the applicability of BBAT using six different categories evaluated using a 5 point score from “not at all” to “extremely”. Spearmans Rho will be used to examine the correlation between the MAIA score and the physiotherapists´ evaluation of the applicability of BBAT.Results: These will be available in January 2017 when data collection is completed.Conclusion(s): To come - see results.Implications: It is important to establish whether there is a relationship between self-reported body awareness and physiotherapists´ evaluation of Basic Body Awareness Therapy as we need to determine whether BBAT is a relevant intervention for all refugees with PTSD, or whether alternative interventions would be more favorable for refugees with a lower level of body awareness.Funding acknowledgements: Tryg Fonden, Mental Health Centre Ballerup, Metropolitan University College CopenhagenTopic: Mental healthEthics approval: The National Committee on Health Research Ethics has approved the studyAll authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.