Strengthening Relationships and Mental Health Through a Couples-Based Economic Empowerment Intervention
NCT ID: NCT07108049
Last Updated: 2025-09-24
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
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RECRUITING
NA
4500 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2025-07-29
2027-06-30
Brief Summary
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Detailed Description
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Interventions that combine microfinance or business training with participatory gender or relationship education report reductions in intimate partner violence-one study noted a reduction in risk by more than 50%-and improved empowerment through enhanced decision-making.
Measures of mental health and well-being, such as stress reduction and improved financial autonomy, also improved in several evaluations, although mental health outcomes appear less consistently reported than relationship outcomes. Notably, partner empathy was not an explicitly measured outcome in any study. Programs varied in intensity-from 4-8 sessions and multi-day trainings to interventions extending over 24 months-and were implemented in diverse contexts spanning low-income and rural communities in the United States, Africa, and South Asia.
This sub-study provides a focused evaluation of psychosocial outcomes within the broader "Let us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families" intervention. The main trial is designed to improve families' economic well-being through financial literacy training, while also integrating gender-transformative content to address intra-household dynamics. The sub-study specifically evaluates program impacts on marital relationship quality and mental health. It is premised on the idea that empowering couples with financial skills and promoting equitable, empathetic relationships can strengthen partner bonds and reduce psychological distress.
Participants in the intervention arm attend six structured community-based sessions for couples. These sessions blend financial literacy education (e.g. budgeting, savings, financial planning) with content on gender equity, communication, and shared decision-making. The curriculum is gender-transformative, meaning it challenges traditional gender roles and encourages empathy and cooperation between spouses. Sessions are interactive and participatory, fostering dialogue on relationship expectations, emotional support, and joint problem-solving. Between sessions, couples receive SMS text message reinforcements to encourage practice of the skills learned and to sustain engagement.
The study uses a cluster randomized controlled trial design to avoid contamination between participants. Clusters (such as villages or community centers) are randomly assigned to either the intervention or control arm by an external trial statistician. All eligible couples within intervention clusters receive the couples' sessions program, whereas couples in control clusters do not receive any structured intervention during the study period (control participants continue with services as usual). Both arms undergo identical baseline and endline assessments. The endline survey, conducted after completion of the six sessions, collects data on relationship strength, empathy, and mental health to measure changes from baseline. By comparing these changes between the intervention and control arms, the study will estimate the intervention's causal effect on the targeted outcomes.
In addition to direct outcome evaluation, an exploratory mediation analysis is planned. This analysis will test whether any improvement in mental health (GHQ-6 scores) due to the intervention occurs indirectly through enhanced relationship strength and empathy. In other words, the study will examine if the intervention's effect on participants' mental well-being is mediated by stronger couple relationships and greater spousal empathy. This will help elucidate the mechanism of impact: whether the economic and gender content improves mental health by improving how partners relate to and support each other. Findings from this sub-study will contribute to understanding the added value of integrating relationship-building and gender equity components into economic empowerment programs for families.
Conditions
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Study Design
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RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
PREVENTION
NONE
Study Groups
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Let's Grow Together Intervention
Married couples in clusters assigned to the intervention receive a structured program of six community-based sessions. Each session lasts between 2.5 and 3 hours and includes participatory activities, discussions, and exercises. All six sessions would be conducted by the same two facilitators - one male and one female. The content integrates financial literacy (e.g., household budgeting, saving practices, joint financial planning) with gender-transformative training (e.g., equitable household roles, communication skills, conflict resolution, and fostering empathy between spouses). Sessions are delivered by trained facilitators in a group setting with fifteen couples, approximately every 2-4 weeks. Some sensitive content to address economic violence context would be done in a gender segregated manner separately to encourage reflections, ensure safety and reduce defensiveness. Between sessions, SMS reminders and tips are sent to participants' mobile phones to reinforce key messages and
Let us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families
Married couples in clusters assigned to the intervention receive a structured program of six community-based sessions. Each session lasts between 2.5 and 3 hours and includes participatory activities, discussions, and exercises. All six sessions would be conducted by the same two facilitators - one male and one female. The content integrates financial literacy (e.g., household budgeting, saving practices, joint financial planning) with gender-transformative training (e.g., equitable household roles, communication skills, conflict resolution, and fostering empathy between spouses). Sessions are delivered by trained facilitators in a group setting with fifteen couples, approximately every 2-4 weeks. Some sensitive content to address economic violence context would be done in a gender segregated manner separately to encourage reflections, ensure safety and reduce defensiveness. Between sessions, SMS reminders and tips are sent to participants' mobile phones to reinforce key messages and e
No Structured Support
Married couples in clusters assigned to the control arm do not receive the special couples training during the study period. Participants in control group continue with standard activities and resources available in the community but without the structured sessions provided to the intervention arm. This control condition represents the status quo against which the added effect of the intervention can be measured. After the conclusion of the study, control clusters may be offered the intervention materials or sessions via the NGO partners in case investigators find overall positive treatment effects, ensuring ethical considerations are met.
No interventions assigned to this group
Interventions
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Let us Grow Together: Economic Wellbeing for Families
Married couples in clusters assigned to the intervention receive a structured program of six community-based sessions. Each session lasts between 2.5 and 3 hours and includes participatory activities, discussions, and exercises. All six sessions would be conducted by the same two facilitators - one male and one female. The content integrates financial literacy (e.g., household budgeting, saving practices, joint financial planning) with gender-transformative training (e.g., equitable household roles, communication skills, conflict resolution, and fostering empathy between spouses). Sessions are delivered by trained facilitators in a group setting with fifteen couples, approximately every 2-4 weeks. Some sensitive content to address economic violence context would be done in a gender segregated manner separately to encourage reflections, ensure safety and reduce defensiveness. Between sessions, SMS reminders and tips are sent to participants' mobile phones to reinforce key messages and e
Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria
* Couples: Married and co-habitating, husband-wife pairs, who regard the selected cluster in the states Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, or Rajasthan of India as their primary residence for the study period.
* Consent: Both partners provide written informed consent and agree to six sessions, baseline and endline surveys, and SMS follow-ups.
* Education: Primary schooling (4th grade) complete
* Comprehension: Both partners understand the local language used in sessions.
* Availability: No plans for relocation or prolonged absence before endline.
Exclusion Criteria
* Refusal of consent or unwillingness to participate in sessions or data collection by either partner.
* Serious physical or mental condition that prevents safe, active participation (e.g., severe mental illness, debilitating disease).
18 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
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European Research Council
OTHER
Technical University of Munich
OTHER
Responsible Party
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Anushree Dirangane
PhD Researcher
Principal Investigators
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Janina Steinert, Prof. Dr.
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
Technical University of Munich
Locations
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50 clusters across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Vayam Organisation
Noida, , India
Countries
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Central Contacts
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Facility Contacts
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References
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Falconier, M. K., Kim, J., & Lachowicz, M. J. (2023). Together-A couples' program integrating relationship and financial education: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40(1), 333-359. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221118816
Funk JL, Rogge RD. Testing the ruler with item response theory: increasing precision of measurement for relationship satisfaction with the Couples Satisfaction Index. J Fam Psychol. 2007 Dec;21(4):572-83. doi: 10.1037/0893-3200.21.4.572.
Imai K, Keele L, Tingley D. A general approach to causal mediation analysis. Psychol Methods. 2010 Dec;15(4):309-34. doi: 10.1037/a0020761.
Ismayilova L, Karimli L, Gaveras E, To-Camier A, Sanson J, Chaffin J, Nanema R. An Integrated Approach to Increasing Women's Empowerment and Reducing Domestic Violence: Results of a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial in a West African Country. Psychol Violence. 2018 Jul;8(4):448-459. doi: 10.1037/vio0000136. Epub 2017 Aug 7.
John NA, Adebayo A, Boychuk NA, OlaOlorun F. Intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention using a cross-sectoral couple-based intervention: results from a cluster randomised control trial in Ibadan, Nigeria. BMJ Glob Health. 2022 Feb;7(2):e007192. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007192.
Kim JC, Watts CH, Hargreaves JR, Ndhlovu LX, Phetla G, Morison LA, Busza J, Porter JD, Pronyk P. Understanding the impact of a microfinance-based intervention on women's empowerment and the reduction of intimate partner violence in South Africa. Am J Public Health. 2007 Oct;97(10):1794-802. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.095521. Epub 2007 Aug 29.
Moore, Q., Wood, R. G., & Wu, A. Y. (2023). Impacts of healthy marriage and relationship education with integrated economic stability services. Family Relations, 72(4), 1422-1440. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12877
Peloquin K, Lafontaine MF. Measuring empathy in couples: validity and reliability of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index for couples. J Pers Assess. 2010 Mar;92(2):146-57. doi: 10.1080/00223890903510399.
Raj A, Ghule M, Johns NE, Battala M, Begum S, Dixit A, Vaida F, Saggurti N, Silverman JG, Averbach S. Evaluation of a gender synchronized family planning intervention for married couples in rural India: The CHARM2 cluster randomized control trial. EClinicalMedicine. 2022 Mar 5;45:101334. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101334. eCollection 2022 Mar.
Rao KN, Begum S, Siddappa K, Ravindra K. Validity of a 6-item version of general health questionnaire (g.h.q.) in the hands of a non - psychiatrist. Indian J Psychiatry. 1992 Apr;34(2):145-7.
Provided Documents
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Document Type: Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan
Related Links
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Project Website
Other Identifiers
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ECOVI, 101115963
Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT
Identifier Source: secondary_id
TUM-EcoVi-01
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
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