Participants
1,000 senior female garment workers serving as mentors for 1,000 junior female migrants (total N = 2,000, ages 18–30) in Bangalore, India.
Study Design
Randomized Controlled Trial evaluating senior-delivered peer mentorship over an eight-week intervention period.
Results
1,000 senior mentors were recruited and paired with newly arrived junior workers across intervention arms, with full empirical impacts on mental health and retention forthcoming.
When to use
Newly arrived junior female migrant workers in industrial factories experience social isolation and difficulty adapting to urban manufacturing environments. Factory managers need experienced, trusted insider peers who can serve as effective guides and mentors. This method recruits more established senior female factory workers to act as structured mentors for incoming peers.
How
Recruit experienced senior female workers from the factory workforce to act as peer mentors for newly arrived migrant workers. 1. Identify more established senior female workers employed on ready-made garment production lines. 2. Confirm that candidate mentors reside in factory-provided residential hostels. 3. Select 1,000 senior female workers to participate as mentors across factory sites. 4. Prepare recruited seniors to deliver structured weekly social support or cognitive behavioral therapy sessions to assigned junior peers over an eight-week period.
Why it works
More established senior workers living in the same hostels share similar background experiences and linguistic skills, making them accessible and relatable peer leaders. Leveraging existing experienced staff creates a scalable support network within industrial worker housing.
Example
Researchers recruited 1,000 senior female workers employed by Shahi Exports in Bangalore, India, to serve as peer mentors for incoming junior female migrant workers living in the same factory hostels.
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 →