Women's social ties and well-being in a resource-limited setting
Official title: Women’s Social Ties and Psychosocial Well-Being in a Resource-Limited Patriarchal Setting: A Longitudinal Perspective
Funded at University of California Los Angeles · NIH-11528309 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in rural sub-Saharan Africa will follow midlife women and their relationships with children and family over time to understand how social support affects happiness, self-esteem, and mental health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $182,619 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG075526-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11528309 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Midlife women in rural sub-Saharan Africa who have or have had adolescent or adult children and are willing to participate in follow-up surveys and interviews.
✕Less likely to help
Women without close family or social networks may derive limited direct benefit from this study’s findings.
What this research studies
This project will build on an existing long-running panel from Mozambique, adding two new waves of surveys and interviews three years apart. It will examine material, practical, and emotional support exchanges between women and their children, relatives, in-laws, and others, and how these exchanges relate to life satisfaction, happiness, self-efficacy, depression, and anxiety. Analyses will link social interactions with women’s marital history, migration of husbands, living arrangements, and changes in health and economic conditions to reveal longer-term psychosocial pathways. The findings aim to illuminate how family networks influence women’s well-being in rural Africa and could inform community and health interventions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Insights into how social support networks affect women’s mental health and well-being could guide programs to strengthen family and community relationships in low-resource settings.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work with the Mozambique panel has yielded valuable insights; this project extends that knowledge with two new data waves.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Agadjanian, Victor — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Agadjanian, Victor
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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.