Project report
Adaptation and Implementation of the Multiple-Family Group Intervention in Ghana
Emmanuel Asampong, Abdallah Ibrahim, Ozge Sensoy Bahar, Kingsley Kumbelim, Peter Badimak Yaro et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This report describes the adaptation and planned implementation of a multiple-family group intervention in three schools in northern Ghana to address behavioral health problems in children. The intervention will test two delivery models: facilitation by parent peers and by school health coordinators, compared to a control group receiving only educational materials. The adaptation process involved modifying the intervention for the Ghanaian context, including changes to facilitator types and sample size, while anticipating challenges with stakeholder engagement and school coordination.
Key points
- A substantial treatment gap exists for children with behavioral challenges in Ghana, with the health system severely underequipped to meet these needs
- The multiple-family group intervention will be delivered by parent peers in one group of schools and by School Health Education Program coordinators in another, with a control group receiving only mental health materials
- The intervention will involve 60 child-caregiver dyads per school across three schools selected through clustered randomization
- Protocol adaptations were made to fit the Ghanaian context, including changes to facilitator types and sample size
- Anticipated implementation challenges include obtaining permissions from education authorities, timing within the academic calendar, and managing high expectations from school authorities
Limitations
This is a project report describing planned implementation rather than results, so it cannot demonstrate whether the intervention is effective or how it performs in practice. The document provides no baseline data on behavioral health problems or preliminary outcomes from the adaptation process.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The health system in Ghana is severely underequipped to meet the needs of children with behavioral health problems. A substantial treatment gap exists among individuals with behavioral challenges, necessitating the implementation of an evidence-based intervention to address child behavioral challenges in Ghana. This article presents learning opportunities from the adaptation and initiation process of an evidence-based approach, the multiple-family group (MFG) intervention, aimed at addressing child behavioral challenges in northern Ghana. METHODS: The MFG intervention will be tested and implemented in three schools selected through a clustered randomization process, with 60 child-caregiver dyads per school. Each school will be assigned to MFG delivery by parent peers, MFG delivery by School Health Education Program (SHEP) coordinators, or an intervention where students are supplied only with mental health wellness materials and educational supports. The providers will be assessed on a fidelity measure. RESULTS: The approach of engaging stakeholders in Ghana is anticipated to prove challenging because multiple partners are involved in MFG implementation. Participants are expected to actively participate, however, given some changes to the protocol to adapt it to the Ghanaian context, including the types of MFG facilitators and sample size. Other anticipated challenges include obtaining permission from key partners such as the education authorities, timing of the study within the academic calendar in Ghana, and meeting the high expectations of school authorities for the study. NEXT STEPS: The MFG intervention will be delivered by parent peers and SHEP coordinators at the selected schools.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Multiple-family group intervention delivered by parent peers or School Health Education Program coordinators, compared to control group receiving mental health wellness materials and educational supports
- Population
- Child-caregiver dyads (60 per school) in three schools in northern Ghana
Key finding
Study design involves clustered randomization across three schools with 60 child-caregiver dyads per school
Asampong et al. · Prof. Fred M. Ssewamala (OpenAlex works) · 12 Jan 2021