Hirani 2018.
| Study characteristics | |
| Methods |
Study design: RCT Duration of study: the study was conducted between November 2015 and February 2016. Country: Pakistan Income classification: lower‐middle‐income country in 2015‐2016 Geographical scope: Karachi, Pakistan Healthcare setting: family health centre (FHC) in an urban community was selected as a study site. |
| Participants | 1. Age: 20‐45 years; intervention 30.63 (5.67), control 32.25 (6.64) 2. Gender: female 3. Socioeconomic background: low socioeconomic status; “More than 50% of the women in both groups reported a total family monthly income between 10,000 and 24,000 rupees ($150.00–$360.00 USD per month), where 22% of women in the intervention group and 20% of women in the control group were working”. 4. Educational background: 85% of women in the intervention group and 77% of women in the control group had formal schooling; the majority had a secondary education. Inclusion criteria: a. speaking Urdu language; b. did not have diagnosed mental health disorders; c. resided within the catchment area. Exclusion criteria: a. women who did not speak Urdu; or b. who had an active migration plan to leave the study site. Note: considerations on baseline scores not applicable for this study Stated purpose: enhancing resilience and quality of life |
| Interventions |
Name: social support intervention Title/name of PW and number: community workers (3) 1. Selection: local community health workers, at least 18 years of age, with good communication skills in Urdu 2. Educational background: minimum of grade 10 education 3. Training: they received 10–15 hours of one‐to‐one training from the principal author (SH) on topics related to the study’s purpose and methods; ethical responsibilities for respect, privacy, and confidentiality, and the content of the intervention modules. 4. Supervision: CHWs received direct supervision throughout the study by the first author of the study. 5. Incentives/remuneration: not specified Prevention type: universal – all women living in the catchment area with no diagnosis of a mental health disorder were eligible. Intervention details: the intervention was offered to six unique groups, and each group was composed of a maximum of 10 participants (total of 60 women). The intervention was manualized and consisted of 6 weekly sessions lasting 1‐1.5 hours. The primary emphasis of the intervention was to provide participants with a safe environment in which they could learn about and discuss the concept of stress and its impact on their lives; share their feelings and experiences, and give/receive support to/from each other. Each week a topic was identified, alongside learning objectives, information about the topic, and suggested exercises to encourage interaction and discussion. Examples of meeting activities include “Define social support and discuss its importance to health” and “Identify the influence of stress on the body, the mind, relationships, and health”. Control: women in the control group participated in a sham intervention involving a single didactic information session on the significance of mental health. The session was conducted by a nurse (not related to the study) and included a definition of mental health, a discussion of its significance, and identification of factors that contribute to or detract from poor mental health. |
| 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) |
| Notes |
Source of funding: no relevant information reported Notes on validation of instruments (screening and outcomes): the WHOQOL‐BREF is a widely validated outcome measure that was also psychometrically tested in the local population (Urdu language measures pilot‐tested). Additional information: none Handling the data: no dataset available Prospective trial registration number: not reported |