mHealth dashboard to support family mental health and parenting programs in Rwanda
Official title: Testing an mHealth Digital Dashboard to improve Quality of Delivery of Evidence-based Interventions that Promote Family Mental Health and Functioning in Rwanda.A Hybrid Type 3 Study.
Funded at Boston College · NIH-11378905 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try a mobile dashboard to help community workers deliver a parenting and family mental health program to Rwandan families affected by trauma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chestnut Hill, United States) |
| Project start | July 2, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $70,430 |
| NIH project number | 3R01MH136200-02S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11378905 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are Rwandan caregivers and families with young children who are enrolled in or eligible for the Sugira Muryango parenting and family mental health program.
✕Less likely to help
People who do not live in program areas of Rwanda, are not enrolled in the program, or lack access to mobile phone-based services are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
I would be part of a program where community workers use a mobile dashboard to track how well they deliver a proven family mental health and parenting intervention called Sugira Muryango. The dashboard is designed to make data entry, referrals for caregiver mental health services, and follow-up easier, and to provide training resources for workers. Researchers will roll out the dashboard in program sites across Rwanda, collect data on delivery quality, reach, referrals, and family outcomes, and use that information to improve support. The team will link dashboard data to caregiver and child well-being measures to see whether the tool helps keep services consistent and timely.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, families could get more reliable, timely mental health support and parenting help, which may improve caregiver mental health, child development, and reduce family violence.
How similar studies have gone: Previous trials of the Sugira Muryango intervention have shown improvements in caregiver mental health, child social-emotional development, and reductions in family violence, while use of a digital dashboard for large-scale implementation is newer and less tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Betancourt, Theresa Stichick — Boston College
- Study coordinator: Betancourt, Theresa Stichick
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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.