Helping low-income rural Bangladeshi women with depression using group mental health care plus poverty support
ASHA Bangladesh--An Integrated Intervention to Address Depression in Low Income Rural Women
A combined program of group-based depression treatment and poverty-alleviation support for low-income women in rural Bangladesh.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Worcester, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11386163 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, your village will be randomly chosen to receive either group-based depression treatment alone or the same treatment plus poverty-relief support. The project will recruit about 660 low-income women across 44 villages and deliver locally adapted group mental health sessions led by trained workers. The study tracks changes in mood, daily functioning, and economic well-being over time to see if the combined approach helps more than treatment alone. The program also builds local research capacity by training young scientists and offering fellowships at the University of Dhaka.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Low-income women living in rural Bangladesh who are experiencing symptoms of depression are the intended participants.
Not a fit: People who are not low-income rural women with depressive symptoms (for example men, urban residents, or those without depression) are not the target and may not benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This approach could reduce depression symptoms and improve economic stability for participating women.
How similar studies have performed: A prior pilot of this program showed promising results, but this is the first large cluster randomized trial testing the combined poverty-alleviation plus depression treatment approach at scale in this setting.
Where this research is happening
Worcester, United States
- Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester — Worcester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Karasz, Alison — Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
- Study coordinator: Karasz, Alison
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.