At a glance
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Effects of a Classroom-based Sensitization Intervention on Demand for Mental Health Care Among School-going Adolescents in New Delhi, India: Study Protocol for a Stepped-wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating Classroom sensitization session and School-level sensitization activities for Help-Seeking Behavior. Completed, enrolled 835 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
The primary objective of this embedded stepped-wedge, cluster randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the impact of a classroom sensitization (intervention condition), over and above the school-level sensitization activities (control condition), on referrals to a host trial (examining the effectiveness of a problem-solving intervention delivered by lay counsellors). The primary hypothesis is that the classroom-level sensitization intervention will be associated with a higher overall referral rate into the host trial (i.e. the proportion of adolescents referred as a function of the total sampling frame in each condition). The secondary hypotheses are that, compared with the control condition, the intervention condition will be associated with a greater proportion of referred students who meet eligibility criteria for inclusion in the host trial and a greater proportion of students who self-refer. We will also explore whether there are any differences between conditions in terms of the severity of total symptoms and symptom subtypes presented by referred adolescents.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
A one-off classroom information and engagement session will be delivered in addition to school-level sensitization activities. Individual classroom sessions will be conducted by a 'lay' counsellor with support from a researcher. The classroom session will start with a short animated video which provides age-appropriate information about types, causes, impacts and ways of coping with common mental health problems. The video will be followed by a guided group discussion, structured around a standardized script that builds on the topics covered in the video. In case of technical difficulties that may prevent the video from being shown, a flipchart based on still illustrations from the video will be used. At the end of the session, students will be handed a self-referral form which includes normalizing information and question-based prompts to assist with self-identification of mental health problems.
The control condition intervention will comprise sensitization activities conducted at the whole school level. These activities will include: 1. Posters containing information about the school counselling program and referral pathways will be displayed in prominent locations at each school. 2. A drop-box for student self-referral slips will be set up in a prominent location at each school. 3. Information meetings with teachers and the principal will be conducted at each school from the beginning of the trial.