Effectiveness of community-based mental health and psychosocial support through the Paracounsellor model for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

Public Health Pract (Oxf). 2026 May 10;11:100799. doi: 10.1016/j.puhip.2026.100799. eCollection 2026 Jun.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To examine pre-post differences in psychological distress among Rohingya refugees who received community-based mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) through the Paracounsellor Model (PCM) from a quantitative perspective.

STUDY DESIGN: Pre-post study.

METHODS: The current study comprised 580 Rohingya refugee clients who received PCM interventions between July and November 2022. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) scores were compared pre and post with paired t-tests separately for males and females.

RESULTS: Among the 580 clients who received the PCM intervention, 477 were included in the current study. Post-intervention GHQ-12 scores were significantly lower than pre-intervention scores for both genders (p < 0.001). The effect size calculated using Cohen’s d was 2.0 for males and 1.2 for females.

CONCLUSIONS: This study investigated the effectiveness of community-based MHPSS by trained non-specialists for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh from a quantitative perspective. The results suggest that PCM interventions are effective in improving the mental health of Rohingya refugees.

PMID:42200100 | PMC:PMC13199958 | DOI:10.1016/j.puhip.2026.100799