Adapting Mental Health Interventions for War-Affected Youth Through Employment Programs

• Register: ClinicalTrials.gov
• Last refreshed on: 12 December 2020
• Main ID: NCT02561949
• Date of registration: 25/09/2015
• Prospective Registration: No
• Primary sponsor: Boston College
• Public title: Adapting Mental Health Interventions for War-Affected Youth Through Employment Programs
• Scientific title: Adapting Mental Health Interventions for War-Affected Youth Through Employment Programs in Sierra Leone
• Date of first enrolment: September 2015
• Target sample size: 80
• Recruitment status: Completed
• URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02561949
• Study type: Interventional
• Study design: Allocation: Randomized. Intervention model: Parallel Assignment. Primary purpose: Health Services Research. Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor).
• Phase: N/A

Countries of recruitment

Sierra Leone

Contacts

• Name: Theresa Betancourt, ScD, MA
• Affiliation: Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Participants must be between the ages 15-24 (UN definition of youth);

2. Participants must have an elevated score on internalizing (depression/anxiety) or
externalizing (aggression/ hostility) on a measure validated for use in Sierra Leone;

3. Participants must report some impairment in daily functioning as a result of emotional
or behavior problems based on a series of questions adapted from the WHODAS; and

4. Participants must neither be enrolled in school nor have gainful employment of 20 or
more hours of work per week over the past four weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Participant fails to meet the age requirements;

2. Participant is either currently enrolled in school or has gainful employment of 20
hours or more of work per week over the past four weeks;

3. Participant is not in favor of joining an employment program;

4. Participants does not have an elevated score on internalizing (depression/anxiety) or
externalizing (aggression/ hostility) on a measure validated for use in Sierra Leone;

5. Participant does not report some impairment in daily functioning as a result of
emotional or behavior problems based on a series of questions adapted from the WHODAS;

6. Participant identified by clinical staff as: (a) experiencing suicidality, or (b)
psychosis.

Participants at risk of harm to themselves or others, as well as those requiring treatment
beyond the scope of YRI will be referred to local mental health or social work treatment
facilitates as appropriate.



Age minimum: 15 Years
Age maximum: 24 Years
Gender: All

Health Condition(s) or Problem(s) studied

Violence, Non-accidental

Social Problems/Psychology

Anxiety Disorder/Anxiety State

Depressive Disorder/Psychology

Intervention(s)

Other: Income generating activity program

Behavioral: YRI

Primary Outcome(s)

Change in % of youth with improved health outcomes [Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months]

Secondary Outcome(s)

Change in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of youth around employment and access to employment services. [Time Frame: 6 months]

YRI Fidelity Protocol [Time Frame: 3 months]

Secondary ID(s)

0603-04

Source(s) of Monetary Support

Please refer to primary and secondary sponsors

Secondary Sponsor(s)

Caritas Freetown

World Bank

The City College of New York