Table 1 A four-step process to culturally adapt low-intensity psychological interventions in humanitarian contexts

Step 1: information gathering

Conduct a rapid desk review to gather relevant pre-existing information (e.g., demographic, socio-economic, help-seeking patterns, coping mechanisms)

Desk review guidance on MHPSS [31]

Additional file 1

Step 2: adaptation hypotheses

Revise PM+ protocols to identify components for adaptation based on the Ecological Validity Model.

Eight-dimension matrix of the Ecological Validity Model [11]

Table 2

Step 3: local consultations

Develop a focus group discussion guide based on Step 2 and use it to interview local specialists, community members and implementers to elaborate and/or validate previous findings.

A step-by-step guide to thematic analysis [32]

Focus Group Discussion guide

Additional files 2 and 3

Step 4: external evaluation

Engage two external reviewers in the evaluation of the PM+ intervention protocol using the Cultural Relevance Questionnaire to determine the protocol’s level of functional, conceptual and linguistic equivalence.

Cultural Relevance Questionnaire (CRQ)

Additional file 4