Adolescent depression and anxiety are serious issues around the world, especially in low-resource countries such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa. Finding affordable, effective interventions is a critical need.
An intervention named Shamiri, which involves group sessions teaching growth mindset, gratitude, and value affirmation, was developed to address this need. It was designed to be delivered by laypeople, making it accessible and cost-efficient.
A study was conducted in four secondary schools in Nairobi and Kiambu County, Kenya. Adolescents aged between 13 to 18 years, who showed elevated symptoms on standardized depression or anxiety measures, were included in the study. The study sought to determine whether the Shamiri intervention could indeed help alleviate depression and anxiety symptoms in these teenagers.
The adolescents were divided into two groups. One group was subjected to the Shamiri intervention and the other group was taught study skills as a control measure. Each group met for an hour every week for four weeks.
The results of the study were promising. Both the Shamiri intervention and the study skills group showed a reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, the Shamiri group showed a greater reduction in symptoms at different points in time after treatment.
While both methods had positive effects, the inexpensive Shamiri intervention had a more significant impact, with effects lasting at least seven months. If the dropout rate can be reduced and the clinical significance of these improvements can be established, this type of intervention could be a game-changer in low-resource settings around the world.
The goal of our research is to develop interventions that can help youth actualize their life outcomes, identify which interventions work and why, and develop and test novel and accessible approaches to dissemination and scaling in order to maximize our impact.
Open science allows us to collaborate and share our work with the world. Our data and publications are open access.
Multicultural and interdisciplinary collaboration amplifies the communities that we serve.
Research is not done in a silo. It is done with and for communities. Context matters.