Skills for Life Adjustment and Resilience Programm

Background: After catastrophes, trauma and other highly stressful experiences, a proportion of individuals develop mental illness, while another proportion exhibit persisting subclinical distress that limits psychosocial functioning. Individuals with persisting subclinical distress rarely receive psychosocial support services.

Aim of the study: This paper presents the Skills fOr Life Adjustment and Resilience (SOLAR) program, a brief intervention developed for people with persistent subclinical distress following catastrophes and other severe stressors. In addition, we report the preliminary findings of a pilot study on the satisfaction with the program in face-to-face and video conferencing formats among people affected by traumatic experiences.

Methods: An international consortium of catastrophe and trauma experts developed the SOLAR program. It includes five weekly group sessions in which behavioral therapy elements are taught. In a pilot study 15 participants received the SOLAR group program in a face-to-face format, and 15 received the program via video conferencing during the first weeks of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. After program completion, we assessed satisfaction with the program using the German version of the client satisfaction questionnaire (CSQ-8).

Results: Participants were "largely" to "very satisfied" with the SOLAR program. The satisfaction in the face-to-face group was slightly greater in all aspects than in the online group. The trainers rated the program as easy to implement.

Conclusion: The SOLAR program represents a promising brief intervention for persistent subclinical distress after severe stressors, which should be further tested for its effectiveness in face-to-face or video conferencing formats. Practical recommendations for implementation are provided.