Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial
Caregivers play a critical role in mediating the impacts of forced displacement on children; however, humanitarian programming remains hampered by a lack of evidence-based programming. We present findings from an evaluation of a group-based curriculum delivered over the course of 12 sessions, journe...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425124000384/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1827261609997762560 |
|---|---|
| author | Lindsay Stark Melissa Meinhart Sabrina Hermosilla Rehema Kajungu Flora Cohen Gary S. Agaba Grace Obalim Justin Knox Patrick Onyango Mangen |
| author_facet | Lindsay Stark Melissa Meinhart Sabrina Hermosilla Rehema Kajungu Flora Cohen Gary S. Agaba Grace Obalim Justin Knox Patrick Onyango Mangen |
| author_sort | Lindsay Stark |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Caregivers play a critical role in mediating the impacts of forced displacement on children; however, humanitarian programming remains hampered by a lack of evidence-based programming. We present findings from an evaluation of a group-based curriculum delivered over the course of 12 sessions, journey of life (JoL). A waitlist-control quasi-experimental design was implemented in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement (intervention n = 631, control n = 676). Caregiver mental distress, measured using the Kessler-6, was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included (a) functioning, (b) social support and (c) caregiving attitudes and behaviors. Propensity score matching (PSM) and Cohen’s d estimates were used to examine the intervention effects. According to our primary PSM analysis, JoL led to significant improvements in mental distress (coef.: 2.33; p < 0.001), social support (coef.: 1.45; p < 0.001), functioning (coef.: 2.64; p < 0.001), parental warmth/affection (coef.: 2.48; p < 0.001), parental undifferentiated rejection (coef.: 0.49; p < 0.001) and attitudes around violence against children (VAC) (coef.: 1.98; p < 0.001). Evidence from Cohen’s d analysis underscored the value of the intervention’s effect on parental warmth/affection (0.74), mental distress (0.70) and VAC attitudes (0.68). This trial adds to the evidence on holistic parenting programming to improve the mental health and parenting outcomes among refugee caregivers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T09:35:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1a5b5db717114060b8edcf31e968cf31 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-4251 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-22T03:01:06Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-1a5b5db717114060b8edcf31e968cf312024-05-01T07:32:10ZengCambridge University PressCambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health2054-42512024-01-011110.1017/gmh.2024.38Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trialLindsay Stark0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8775-9735Melissa Meinhart1Sabrina Hermosilla2Rehema Kajungu3Flora Cohen4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7879-3958Gary S. Agaba5Grace Obalim6Justin Knox7Patrick Onyango Mangen8Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USANational Coalition of Independent Scholars, Battleboro, Vermont, USADepartment of Population and Family Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USATranscultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Uganda, Kampala, UgandaBrown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, IL, USATranscultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Uganda, Kampala, UgandaTranscultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Uganda, Kampala, UgandaDepartment of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University, New York, NY, USA Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, USARegional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), Randburg, South AfricaCaregivers play a critical role in mediating the impacts of forced displacement on children; however, humanitarian programming remains hampered by a lack of evidence-based programming. We present findings from an evaluation of a group-based curriculum delivered over the course of 12 sessions, journey of life (JoL). A waitlist-control quasi-experimental design was implemented in the Kiryandongo refugee settlement (intervention n = 631, control n = 676). Caregiver mental distress, measured using the Kessler-6, was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included (a) functioning, (b) social support and (c) caregiving attitudes and behaviors. Propensity score matching (PSM) and Cohen’s d estimates were used to examine the intervention effects. According to our primary PSM analysis, JoL led to significant improvements in mental distress (coef.: 2.33; p < 0.001), social support (coef.: 1.45; p < 0.001), functioning (coef.: 2.64; p < 0.001), parental warmth/affection (coef.: 2.48; p < 0.001), parental undifferentiated rejection (coef.: 0.49; p < 0.001) and attitudes around violence against children (VAC) (coef.: 1.98; p < 0.001). Evidence from Cohen’s d analysis underscored the value of the intervention’s effect on parental warmth/affection (0.74), mental distress (0.70) and VAC attitudes (0.68). This trial adds to the evidence on holistic parenting programming to improve the mental health and parenting outcomes among refugee caregivers.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425124000384/type/journal_articlecaregiver mental healthparenting practicescaregiver supportchild wellbeingUgandarefugees |
| spellingShingle | Lindsay Stark Melissa Meinhart Sabrina Hermosilla Rehema Kajungu Flora Cohen Gary S. Agaba Grace Obalim Justin Knox Patrick Onyango Mangen Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health caregiver mental health parenting practices caregiver support child wellbeing Uganda refugees |
| title | Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial |
| title_full | Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial |
| title_fullStr | Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial |
| title_short | Improving psychosocial well-being and parenting practices among refugees in Uganda: Results of the journey of life effectiveness trial |
| title_sort | improving psychosocial well being and parenting practices among refugees in uganda results of the journey of life effectiveness trial |
| topic | caregiver mental health parenting practices caregiver support child wellbeing Uganda refugees |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2054425124000384/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lindsaystark improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial AT melissameinhart improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial AT sabrinahermosilla improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial AT rehemakajungu improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial AT floracohen improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial AT garysagaba improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial AT graceobalim improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial AT justinknox improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial AT patrickonyangomangen improvingpsychosocialwellbeingandparentingpracticesamongrefugeesinugandaresultsofthejourneyoflifeeffectivenesstrial |