Participants
Female garment workers (ages 18–30) residing in factory hostels in Bangalore, India.
Study Design
Randomized Controlled Trial evaluating a lay-delivered WHO PM+ cognitive behavioral therapy intervention over eight weeks.
Results
Senior mentors delivered weekly CBT sessions and assigned behavioral homework tasks over eight weeks, with empirical findings on mental health and labor market outcomes forthcoming.
When to use
Young female migrant workers in factory hostels experience severe loneliness and psychological strain. Formal mental health services are scarce in low-resource manufacturing settings. This method trains senior peers to deliver context-adapted cognitive behavioral therapy sessions and behavioral assignments to newly arrived junior workers.
How
Deliver a tailored cognitive behavioral therapy intervention using trained lay peer mentors in low-resource industrial housing. 1. Tailor the WHO Problem Management Plus cognitive behavioral therapy intervention to the local factory context. 2. Train established senior female workers to conduct weekly cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. 3. Schedule senior mentors to meet with assigned junior workers twice per week over an eight-week period. 4. Lead weekly cognitive behavioral therapy sessions focusing on strategies to manage loneliness and adversity. 5. Assign short behavioral homework tasks after each session, such as encouraging junior workers to speak with two unfamiliar peers during lunch breaks.
Why it works
Training senior peers in cognitive behavioral therapy expands access to evidence-based mental health support without relying on specialized clinical staff. Behavioral homework encourages workers to practice real-world social interaction and overcome anxiety in everyday situations.
Example
Researchers trained senior female workers at Shahi Exports in Bangalore, India, to deliver weekly adapted WHO PM+ cognitive behavioral therapy sessions and assign social homework to junior migrant peers over eight weeks.
Source and citation
See source →Read alongside the research
Plain-English glossary
Original explanations, informed by the references below. Examples are illustrations, not data from the studies above. The research text stays unchanged.
- Randomized controlled trial
A study that uses chance, like drawing lots, to decide who receives each option being compared. Researchers compare the groups’ outcomes to estimate the effect of those options.
ExampleA lottery assigns volunteers to a training programme or a comparison group. Researchers then compare their outcomes.
GET-IT glossary · Randomized study ↗Read more about randomized controlled trial →