Using a cluster-randomized trial, this paper evaluates the impact of group-based interpersonal therapy on mental health and human capital accumulation among adolescent girls in Uganda who were at risk of moderate or severe depression at baseline. The study was designed to test whether lay provider–led group-based interpersonal therapy for adolescents could be effectively scaled up using modest resources in a low-income country. It also tested whether a lump-sum cash transfer offered at the end of therapy provided any additional benefit. The findings show that group-based interpersonal therapy increased the share of adolescents with minimal depression by 20-30 percent 12 months after therapy, but these effects dissipated by the 24-month follow-up. Small short-term effects on human capital accumulation were also not sustained at 24 months. Surprisingly, the marginal effect of providing cash transfers to group-based interpersonal therapy beneficiaries on mental health was large and negative, persisting two years after baseline. The paper provides suggestive evidence that the adolescents were frustrated by their inability to use the cash toward their own goals because of the need to divert funds toward the essential needs of their families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Authors
Baird, Sarah, Ozler, Berk, Dell'Aira, Chiara, Parisotto, Luca, Us-Salam, Danish
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- Associated content
- Link to data and reproducibility package
- Citation
- “ Baird, Sarah ; Ozler, Berk ; Dell'Aira, Chiara ; Parisotto, Luca ; Us-Salam, Danish . 2024 . Therapy, Mental Health, and Human Capital Accumulation among Adolescents in Uganda . Policy Research Working Paper; 10849 . © Washington, DC: World Bank . http://hdl.handle.net/10986/41891 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO . ”
- Collection(s)
- Policy Research Working Papers
- DOI
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-10849
- Identifier externaldocumentum
- 34362965
- Identifier internaldocumentum
- 34362965
- Pages
- 62
- Published in
- United States of America
- Region country
- Uganda
- RelationisPartofseries
- Policy Research Working Paper; 10849
- Report
- WPS10849
- Rights
- CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Rights Holder
- World Bank
- Rights URI
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
- UNIT
- DECPH:Poverty
- URI
- https://hdl.handle.net/10986/41891
- date disclosure
- 2024-07-17
- region administrative
- Africa Eastern and Southern (AFE)
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Table of Contents
- Introduction 4
- Experiment design 9
- Interventions 9
- Interpersonal therapy 9
- Cash transfers 10
- Sample and data 11
- Sample 11
- Data 11
- Empirical strategy 12
- Treatment assignment 12
- Outcomes 12
- Estimation 13
- Results 14
- Implementation fidelity 14
- Baseline balance 14
- Attrition 15
- Compliance 15
- Treatment effects on mental health 16
- Impact of IPT-G 16
- Impact of adding cash to IPT-G 17
- Treatment effects on human capital 17
- Impact of IPT-G 17
- Impact of adding cash to IPT-G 18
- Why are there negative impacts of cash? 19
- Conclusion 20
- Acknowledgements 22
- Figures 30
- Tables 33
- Appendix Tables 45
- StrongMinds Uganda 58
- Background on interpersonal psychotherapy 58
- Mentor selection 60
- Mentor training 60
