Mental Depression
Conditions
Brief summary
Adolescent girls in developing countries face high rates of adversity and are at an elevated risk of depression and other forms of psychological distress. Untreated depression can have negative consequences on life outcomes such as early pregnancies, social exclusion and school dropout. These can result in a cycle of poverty for young women and their families. Despite this being a very pressing problem there is little evidence on what types of interventions can help break the vicious cycle of poor mental health and poverty. This research program aims to evaluate, through the use of a cluster-Randomized Control Trial (cluster- RCT), the effect of group-based interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G) and unconditional cash transfers on adolescent girls' mental health and social functioning. Working with Strong Minds Uganda in collaboration with BRAC Uganda's Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents (ELA) clubs, the evidence generated from this research will create a better understanding of whether adolescent mental health improves through this cost-effective approach, and whether improved mental health impacts other outcomes of interest.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALIPT-G
14 weeks of group-based interpersonal therapy (IPT-G)
BEHAVIORALUnconditional Cash Transfer
Lump sum cash transfer
Sponsors
Berk Ozler, The World Bank
George Washington University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Masking description
Enumerators will be masked to the treatment assignment of the participants.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
13 Years to 19 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* 13-19 year old female who scores 10 or above on PHQ-8
Exclusion criteria
* male * Score below 10 on PHQ-8
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Resilience c | 24 months | score on Child & Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (0-34, higher is better) |
| Minimal Depression 1a | 6 months | Score \<=10 Primary Health Questionnaire 8 (0-24, higher is worse) |
| Minimal Depression 1b | 12 months | Score \<=10 Primary Health Questionnaire 8 (0-24, higher is worse) |
| Minimal Depression 1c | 24 months | Score \<=10 Primary Health Questionnaire 8 (0-24, higher is worse) |
| Psychological Distress 2a | 6 months | Score \>=3 on the General Health Questionnaire 12 (0-12, higher is worse) |
| Psychological Distress 2c | 24 months | Score \>=3 on the General Health Questionnaire 12 (0-12, higher is worse) |
| Self Esteem a | 6 months | score on Rosenberg self esteem (0-30, higher is better) |
| Self Esteem b | 12 months | score on Rosenberg self esteem (0-30, higher is better) |
| Self Esteem c | 24 months | score on Rosenberg self esteem (0-30, higher is better) |
| Resilience a | 6 months | score on Child & Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (0-34, higher is better) |
| Resilience b | 12 months | score on Child & Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (0-34, higher is better) |
| Psychological Distress 2b | 12 months | Score \>=3 on the General Health Questionnaire 12 (0-12, higher is worse) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Child Marriage a | 12 months | incidence of marriage from baseline |
| Child Marriage b | 24 months | incidence of marriage from baseline |
| Indicator for Self-Reported School Enrollment a | 12 months | Indicator for enrolled in school (=1 if Adolescent Self-Reports Enrolled in school at time of survey) |
| Indicator for Self-Reported School Enrollment b | 24 months | Indicator for enrolled in school (=1 if Adolescent Self-Reports Enrolled in school at time of survey) |
| incidence of pregnancy a | 12 months | incidence of pregnancy from baseline |
| Competencies a | 12 months | Score on competency test. This is a score that takes on a value of 0-3 across a set of three questions on ability to answer skills based math questions. Higher is better |
| Competencies b | 24 months | Score on competency test. This is a score that takes on a value of 0-3 across a set of three questions on ability to answer skills based math questions. Higher is better |
| Indicator for self -reported condom use at last sex a | 12 months | condom use during last sexual encounter (=1 if Adolescent self reports using a condom at last sex) |
| indicator for self-reported condom use at last sex b | 24 months | condom use during last sexual encounter (=1 if Adolescent self reports using a condom at last sex) |
| incidence of pregnancy b | 24 months | incidence of pregnancy from baseline |
Countries
Uganda
Outcome results
None listed