Peer-reviewed article
Short‐term impact of a combination intervention on family cohesion: Results from a pilot cluster‐randomized clinical trial in Northern Ghana
Ozge Sensoy Bahar, William Byansi, Abdallah Ibrahim, Alice Boateng, Portia Buernarkie Nartey et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001A pilot study in Northern Ghana tested a combination intervention called ANZANSI with adolescent girls to strengthen family cohesion as a way to prevent child labour and school dropout. The intervention group showed significant improvements in family cohesion scores from baseline to 9 months, though there was no statistical difference compared to the control group at that time point. Qualitative findings also suggested improved family relationships in the intervention group. The study suggests this social work intervention warrants further investigation.
Key points
- Family cohesion scores improved significantly within the ANZANSI intervention group from baseline to 9 months
- No statistically significant difference was found between intervention and control groups at 9 months
- Qualitative results indicated improved family cohesion in the intervention group
- Child labour and school dropout were identified as key concerns in Northern Ghana requiring preventive efforts
- The study was designed as a pilot to test preliminary impact before larger-scale research
Limitations
The study had no significant difference between groups at 9 months, limiting evidence of intervention effectiveness. The short follow-up period and pilot nature mean findings cannot demonstrate sustained impact or be generalised beyond this population.
Abstract
Child labor remains a concern in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, evidence-based preventive efforts are limited. We analyzed longitudinal data from Ghanaian adolescent girls in a pilot randomized clinical trial testing the preliminary impact of a combination intervention on family cohesion as a protective factor against child labor and school dropout. While there was no statistical difference between the control and intervention groups at 9 months, the results show that family cohesion scores improved significantly from baseline to 9 months for the ANZANSI intervention group. Qualitative results indicated improved family cohesion in the intervention group. Hence, future studies should further examine this promising social work intervention.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- ANZANSI combination intervention designed to strengthen family cohesion as a protective factor
- Population
- Ghanaian adolescent girls in Northern Ghana
Key finding
Family cohesion scores improved significantly within the intervention group from baseline to 9 months
Bahar et al. · Prof. Fred M. Ssewamala (OpenAlex works) · 2 Jun 2024