Peer-reviewed article
Utilizing a family-based economic strengthening intervention to improve mental health wellbeing among female adolescent orphans in Uganda
Apollo Kivumbi, William Byansi, Fred M. Ssewamala, Proscovia Nabunya, Christopher Damulira et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how a family-based economic strengthening program affected the mental health of female adolescent orphans in rural Uganda. The intervention included savings accounts, mentorship, and financial training for orphaned girls affected by HIV/AIDS. Girls who received the intervention showed significant improvements in depression, hopelessness, and self-concept compared to those who did not, with benefits growing over 24 months.
Key points
- Female adolescents in the intervention group showed a 1.262-point reduction in depressive symptoms at 12 months and 1.907-point reduction at 24 months compared to controls
- Intervention participants reported a 3.503-point improvement in self-concept from baseline to 24 months compared to controls
- The intervention combined child development accounts, mentorship programs, and financial management workshops
- Mental health was measured using standardized tools: Child Depression Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and Tennessee Self Concept Scale
- Study followed participants over 24 months with data collection at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months
Limitations
The study does not report on medium or long-term sustainability of mental health gains after the intervention ended, nor does it examine cost-effectiveness or mechanisms explaining why economic empowerment improved mental health outcomes.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is estimated that almost 20% of the world's adolescents have experienced or are experiencing a mental health problem. Several factors have been associated with the onset of adolescent mental health disorders, including poverty, child abuse and violence, particularly among adolescent girls. This paper examines the effect of participating in a family-based economic strengthening intervention on the mental health well-being of female adolescent orphans impacted by HIV/AIDS in rural Uganda. METHODS: Data utilized in this study was from the Bridges to the Future Study (2011-2016), an economic empowerment intervention aimed at improving health outcomes of orphaned children. Adolescents were randomly assigned to either the control condition receiving bolstered standard of care services for orphaned adolescents; or one of two treatment conditions receiving bolstered standard of care as well as an economic empowerment intervention comprising of a child development account, a mentorship program and workshops on financial management and microenterprise development. Data was collected at baseline, 12- and 24-months post intervention initiation. Multilinear regression analyses were conducted to examine the impact of an economic empowerment intervention on mental health functioning of female participants over time. Mental health functioning was measured by: (1) the Child Depression Inventory; (2) Beck Hopelessness Scale; and (3) Tennessee Self Concept Scale. RESULTS: Analysis results show an improvement in mental health functioning over time among female participants receiving the intervention compared to their control counterparts. Specifically, compared to participants in the control condition, participants receiving the intervention reported a reduction in depressive symptoms from baseline to 12-months follow-up (b = - 1.262, 95% CI - 2.476, - 0.047), and an additional 0.645-point reduction between baseline and 24-months follow-up (b = - 1.907, 95% CI - 3.192, - 0.622). Participants receiving the intervention reported significant improvement in their reported self-concept from baseline to 24 months follow-up (b = 3.503 (95% CI 1.469, 5.538) compared to participants in the control condition. CONCLUSIONS: Empowerment of young girls, either in the form of peer mentorship and/or economic strengthening seems to significantly improve the overall mental health functioning of adolescent girls impacted by HIV and AIDS in low-income settings.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Family-based economic strengthening intervention comprising child development accounts, mentorship programs, and workshops on financial management and microenterprise development
- Population
- Female adolescent orphans in rural Uganda affected by HIV/AIDS
Key finding
Depressive symptoms reduced by 1.262 points at 12 months (95% CI -2.476, -0.047) in intervention versus control
Kivumbi et al. · Prof. Fred M. Ssewamala (OpenAlex works) · 11 Mar 2019