Suubi4StrongerFamilies

Suubi4StrongerFamilies: Addressing Child Behavioral Health by Strengthening Financial Stability and Parenting Among Families in Uganda

The study will examine the mechanisms by which Economic Empowerment (EE) and Family Strengthening (FS) interventions targeting social, familial and context-specific drivers affect childhood behavioral health (CBH). The study will randomly assign 900 children in mid-upper primary school (10 to 14 years) to one of the three study arms (10 schools each): 1) EE only (n=300), 2) Multiple Family Group (MFG)-based FS only (n=300), and 3) combined EE+MFG-based FS (n=300). The interventions will be provided for 12 months. Assessments will occur at baseline, 12, 24 and 36 months.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Child Behavioral Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Economic Empowerment (EE); Behavioral: Multiple Family Group based Family Strengthening (MFG-based FS); Behavioral: EE plus MFG-based FS

Detailed Description

Children in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are burdened by significant unmet mental health needs, with prevalence rates higher than 20%. The high rates of poverty, food insecurity, stigma and an inadequate health safety net system exacerbate serious childhood behavioral health (CBH) needs and impede an effective response. Youth disruptive behavioral disorders (DBDs) are a particularly serious concern as they persist through adolescence and adulthood. DBDs are also highly related to poor physical health and interpersonal challenges in adulthood. There is a need to address the context-specific social influences on CBH. Moreover, if children's needs are to be met in SSA, then: 1) implementing interventions designed and tested in SSA, and which mobilize resources within existing child-focused institutions (families, schools) is critical; 2) combined interventions that simultaneously target SSA-specific influences on CBH (family financial stability, culturally-based parenting), and can be delivered in collaboration with child/family-serving community settings (schools, faith-based and financial institutions) are necessary; and 3) group, community and population approaches to CBH are needed to drive scalable solutions.

This study will test the impact of Economic Empowerment (EE) and Family Strengthening (FS) interventions on childhood behavioral health. The study will utilize a longitudinal design with three active study conditions across 30 cluster-randomized primary schools to compare single and combination intervention options. The three study conditions are: 1) EE only, 2) MFG-based FS only, 3) combined EE+MFG-based FS. The interventions will be provided for 12 months; and assessments will occur at baseline, 12, 24 and 36 months.

The study will be guided by the following specific aims:

Aim 1: Examine the impact of EE only, MFG-based FS only, and combined EE+MFG-based FS on children's DBD symptoms and behavioral functioning;

Aim 2: Test the influence of EE only, MFG-based FS only, and combined EE+MFG-based FS on family financial stability (e.g., food and housing stability, material assets, savings), parenting and protective family processes (e.g., family organization, caregiver/child interaction, cohesion, support) and perceptions related to help-seeking (e.g., stigma) on CBH and functioning; and assess whether these change mechanisms mediate intervention effects on DBD symptoms and behavioral functioning, and explore moderation by context-specific moderators of intervention effects;

Aim 3: Qualitatively examine participants' experiences with each intervention arm.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 967
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Uganda
  • Masaka, Uganda
    • International Center for Child Health and Development

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 6 years to 10 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion criteria for children:

• Child in upper primary 5-7 (10 to 14 years)
• Meeting criteria for Opposition Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder (CD)
• Willing to assent;

Inclusion criteria for caregivers:

• Adult caregiver of the child willing to consent
• Available for research and intervention activities.

Exclusion criteria:

-Inability to understand study procedures and participant rights as assessed during the informed consent/assent process with the child or parent. If the child or adult caregiver presents with emergency needs (e.g., hospitalization), needed care will be secured, rather than study participation.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Economic Empowerment (EE); EE consists of a child development account (CDA) held in the child's name in a financial institution registered by the Central Bank (Bank of Uganda).	Behavioral: Economic Empowerment (EE); EE will be provided via a child development account (CDA). CDAs provide children with basic financial education, introduce them to formal financial institutions, and incentivize them to save by matching their deposits. Any of the child's family members, relatives, or friends will be allowed and encouraged to contribute towards the CDA. The account will be matched with money from the program. The maximum family contribution to be matched by the program will be an equivalent of US $10 per month per family or US $120 for the 12-month intervention period.
Experimental: Multiple Family Group (MFG) - based Family Strengthening (FS) Intervention: MFG-based consists of 16 sessions focused on building support for parents and families by providing opportunities for parents and children to communicate in a safe setting with other families who have shared experiences. Core components of MFG are known as 4Rs and 2S's: rules, responsibility, relationships, respectful communication, stress and social support.	Behavioral: Multiple Family Group based Family Strengthening (MFG-based FS); MFG-based FS approach is a family-centered, group delivered, evidence-informed, strength-based intervention designed for children and adolescents whose families struggle with poverty and associated stressors. MFG is based on building support for parents and families by providing opportunities for parents and children to communicate in a safe setting with other families who have shared experiences. The core components of MFG are known as 4Rs and 2S's: rules, responsibility, relationships, respectful communication, stress and social support. Participants in this study arm will receive 16 session of MFG-based FS sessions, delivered by delivered by trained Community Health Workers and Parent Peers.
Experimental: Combined EE plus MFG-based FS; EE+ MFG-based FS combines both the child development account and 16 sessions of MFG.	Behavioral: EE plus MFG-based FS; EE plus MFG-based FS directly addresses both the economic needs and mental health functioning. It will consists of an EE intervention that comprises a family monetary savings program using CDAs, and a family-based dialogue and training via MFG focused on strengthening family relationships and mental health challenges.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in oppositional defiant disorder symptoms (reported by guardian)	Change in oppositional defiant disorder symptoms will be measured using Iowa Conners scale. The scale has 16 items, with a score of 6 or higher on items 6-10 signifying positive oppositional disorder.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in impairment (reported by guardian)	Change in child impairment impairment will be measured using the impairment scale. The scale has 7 items. A score of 3 or higher in any 4 or more items is considered a significant impairment.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in child depression symptoms	Change in child depression will be measured using the Child Depression Inventory. The study will measure the mean score on the CDI scale over time. The total score range between 0 and 28 with a high score indicating higher levels of depressive symptoms.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in Child Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms	Post traumatic stress will be measured using the Child PTSD reaction index. The study will measure the mean score on the Child PTSD Reaction Scale over time. The total score range between 0 and 120, with a high score indicating higher levels of PTSD.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in self concept	Self concept will be measured using the Tennessee self-concept scale. The study will measure the mean score on the TSCS over time. The total score range between 20 and 100 with a high score indicating higher levels of self-concept.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in Family relations	Family relations will be measured using items adapted from the family environmental scale and Family assessment scale. The study will measure the mean score over time, with higher scores indicating high levels of family relations/cohesion.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in Social Support	Social Support from family members and friends will be measured using the social support behaviors scale. The study will measure the mean score over time. The total score range between 45- 225, with a higher score indicating high social support levels.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in Family stability	Family stability will be assessed by asking respondents to indicate how long they have lived with their current family.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in mental health-related stigma	Mental health-related stigma will be measured using the pediatric self-stigmatization scale. The study will measure mean scores over time. The total score range between 13 -52, with higher scores indicating high levels of mental health-related stigma.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in hopelessness symptoms	Hopelessness will be measured using the Beck Hopelessness Scale. The study will assess the mean scores over time. The total score range between 0 - 20, with a higher score indicating higher levels of child hopelessness.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in Self Esteem	Self esteem will be measured using Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The study will assess the mean scores over time. The total score range between10 - 40, with a higher score indicating high levels of child self esteem.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in food insecurity and assets	This will be measured using Household Food Insecurity Scale and Asset ownership. Total mean scores of both scales will be measured over time with a range of 0-25 and 0-21 respectively. A higher score indicates high levels of food security, economic stability and assets ownership.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in Access to services	The study will measure the change in access to medical services as well as barriers to medical services over time.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in Savings	Savings will be measured using official bank records/ monthly bank statements from the Child Development Accounts	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months
Change in Perceived Social Support	Perceived support from family members, friends and other individual will be measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The study will measure the mean score on the MSPSS over time. The scale range between 12-84, with a higher score indicating high levels of perceived social support.	Baseline, 12 months, 24 months, 36 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Washington University School of Medicine
• Collaborators: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 14, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 1, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 5, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): May 10, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 12, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: children; child behavior; adolescents; disruptive behaviors
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Problem Behavior; Child Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: R01MH128905 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Once all of the data has been de-identified, cleaned, and validated, and main findings have been published, the Investigators expect to share data with the scientific community. The research team will make datasets available to any individual who makes a direct request to the PI and indicates the data will be used for the purposes of research (per Code of Federal Regulations Title 45 Part 46: "Research is defined as a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge."). In sharing participant data, the team will follow Washington University in St. Louis' Office of SponsoredProjects' data sharing agreement.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No