Berger 2018.
| Study characteristics | |
| Methods |
Study design: cluster‐RCT Duration of study: the study was conducted from September 2013 to January 2015. Country: Tanzania Income classification: low‐income country in 2013‐2015 Geographical scope: Meru district Healthcare setting: 6 classes of a public primary school in the Meru district of Tanzania |
| Participants | 1. Age: mean 12.46 (SD: 0.91) 2. Gender: both 3. Socioeconomic background: child's residence—122 family, 61 orphanage 4. Educational background: primary school (grade level 4, 5, or 6) Inclusion criteria: all schools in the Meru district interested in participating in the programme Exclusion criteria: not reported Note: at baseline, the intervention and control group scores for the Spence Anxiety scale for children (SCAS) were, respectively, 16.33 (3.87) and 16.08 (3.8) Stated purpose: to evaluate the effectiveness of the adapted ESPS in enhancing resiliency of Tanzanian students and promoting their prosocial orientation |
| Interventions |
Name: ERSAE‐Stress‐Prosocial (ESPS) intervention Title/name of PW and number: homeroom teachers (4‐6) 1. Selection: “Six schools that were interested in the program decided to send between 4‐6 teachers who were trained in delivering the ESPS program to their students.” 2. Educational background: secondary education certificate (known in Tanzania as ‘‘Grade A’’ teachers) with a teaching experience ranging between 4‐12 years 3. Training: the homeroom teachers were trained in a 4‐day workshop (24 hours); they acquired psychoeducational materials, participated in experiential exercises, practised skills, and learned dissemination techniques all based on the ERSAE‐Stress‐Prosocial (ESPS) manual. 4. Supervision: during the implementation in the classes, the two Tanzanian mental health professionals observed and then supervised the teachers on a bi‐monthly basis. They also consulted with the first author via scheduled Skype sessions. 5. Incentives/remuneration: not specified Prevention type: universal – all participants (students of a public primary school) were eligible for inclusion, and their baseline levels of anxiety (scores for the SCAS) were well below the cut‐off for the measure. The intervention was defined as universal, aiming at promoting prosocial behaviours. Intervention details: the ESPS is a universal school‐based programme composed of sixteen 90‐minute sessions divided into two sets of strategies—stress‐reduction interventions and prosocial interventions (i.e. perspective‐taking, empathy training, mindfulness, and compassion‐cultivating practices). Based on the school curriculum’s requirements, the teachers delivered the course content of the original 16‐session manual in two weekly 45‐minute sessions. Each session contained a warm‐up exercise, experimental work, psycho‐educational knowledge, a contemplative practice, a learned skill, and homework assignments. Control: active control. The control classes received 2‐hour social studies classes weekly based on the Ministry of Education curriculum for primary schools in the mainland, which matched the amount of time spent on the ESPS intervention. These lessons were also provided by the homeroom teachers and were delivered in the control classes at the same time as the ESPS intervention. The contents included topics such as the history of the country, political issues, civics, family life, and education for general values. |
| Outcomes |
Participants’outcomes of interest for this review
Carers’ outcomes of interest for this review Nil Economic outcomes Nil Time points: baseline, post‐intervention (< 1 month, 7‐24 months) |
| Notes |
Source of funding: the author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Notes on validation of instruments (screening and outcomes): the scales used were previously reported as reliable and tested for validity in the sample (SCAS, Child Diagnostic Interview Schedule, SDQ). Additional information: none Handling the data: not applicable Prospective trial registration number: not reported |