Development and assessment of feasibility of a community-based peer support intervention to mitigate social isolation and stigma of adolescent motherhood in Harare, Zimbabwe

Tinago, Chiwoneso B.; Frongillo, Edward A.; Warren, Andrea; Chitiyo, Vivian; Cifarelli, Ashley K.; Fyalkowski, Shannon; Pauline, Victoria

doi:10.1186/s40814-021-00832-0

Cited by 5 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…On the macro-social level, community-based intervention can mitigate social isolation stress, and discrimination by using peer support and community empowerment for building skills and sharing knowledge [ 190 ]. A participatory approach has been identified as key component for empowering individuals and communities to actively take part in the intervention design and development processes that address their social and mental health needs [ 190 ]. Accordingly, bringing together university students and recently resettled refugees for mutual learning and mobilization of community resources can help to reduce mental health disparities [ 191 ].…”

Section: Social Isolation and Discrimination Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of social isolation stress and discrimination on mental health

et al. 2022

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Social isolation and discrimination are growing public health concerns associated with poor physical and mental health. They are risk factors for increased morbidity and mortality and reduced quality of life. Despite their detrimental effects on health, there is a lack of knowledge regarding translation across the domains of experimental research, clinical studies, and real-life applications. Here, we review and synthesize evidence from basic research in animals and humans to clinical translation and interventions. Animal models indicate that social separation stress, particularly in early life, activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and interacts with monoaminergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic neurotransmitter systems, inducing long-lasting reductions in serotonin turnover and alterations in dopamine receptor sensitivity. These findings are of particular importance for human social isolation stress, as effects of social isolation stress on the same neurotransmitter systems have been implicated in addictive, psychotic, and affective disorders. Children may be particularly vulnerable due to lasting effects of social isolation and discrimination stress on the developing brain. The effects of social isolation and loneliness are pronounced in the context of social exclusion due to discrimination and racism, during widespread infectious disease related containment strategies such as quarantine, and in older persons due to sociodemographic changes. This highlights the importance of new strategies for social inclusion and outreach, including gender, culture, and socially sensitive telemedicine and digital interventions for mental health care.

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Section: Social Isolation and Discrimination Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of social isolation stress and discrimination on mental health

et al. 2022

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“…A peer support intervention for adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe documented improvements in girls’ mental health, social support, knowledge sharing and skills building. 50 The TESFA programme for married girls in Amhara, Ethiopia was not explicitly designed to address mental health but documented improvements among participating girls. 29 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, in a recent study to assess a community-based peer support intervention addressing the mental health needs of adolescent mothers, the use of WhatsApp Messenger to support intervention efforts was welcomed by study participants. 50 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mental health can be a casualty of child marriage, which puts girls at greater risk of sexual, physical and emotional violence,49 and interventions support married adolescents and adolescent mothers by addressing stigma and social isolation. A peer support intervention for adolescent mothers in Zimbabwe documented improvements in girls’ mental health, social support, knowledge sharing and skills building 50. The TESFA programme for married girls in Amhara, Ethiopia was not explicitly designed to address mental health but documented improvements among participating girls 29…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent research highlights the potential for technology to be leveraged as an affordable and user-friendly platform to share information in empowerment-based child marriage interventions. For example, in a recent study to assess a community-based peer support intervention addressing the mental health needs of adolescent mothers, the use of WhatsApp Messenger to support intervention efforts was welcomed by study participants 50…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Systematic scoping review of interventions to prevent and respond to child marriage across Africa: progress, gaps and priorities

2023

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ObjectivesDespite the high prevalence of child marriage in Africa, little is known about the current state of the evidence on interventions to prevent and respond to child marriage in the region. The objectives of this systematic scoping review are to describe the breadth of existing evidence on child marriage prevention and response interventions, analyze where these interventions have been implemented, and identify research gaps and priorities for moving forward.MethodsThe inclusion criteria incorporated publications that: (1) focused on Africa, (2) described interventions to address child marriage, (3) were published 2000–2021 and (4) were published as peer-reviewed articles or reports in English. We searched seven databases (PubMed, PsychINFO, Embase, Cinahl Plus, Popline, Web of Science and Cochrane Library), hand-searched the websites of 15 organisations and used Google Scholar to identify research published in 2021. Two authors independently screened titles and abstracts followed by full-text reviews and data extraction for included studies.ResultsOur analysis of the 132 intervention studies identified highlights important disparities by intervention type, sub-region, and intervention activities, focus populations and impact. The greatest number of intervention studies focused on Eastern Africa. Health and empowerment approaches were most represented, followed by education and laws and policies. Norms or livelihoods approaches were least represented.ConclusionOur review finds few high-quality impact evaluations, most of which assess cash transfer programmes. There is a need to strengthen evaluative evidence on other intervention approaches including empowerment and norms change interventions, in particular. Given the linguistic and cultural diversity of the continent, more country-specific studies and research published in languages other than English are needed, particularly in high-prevalence Middle African countries.

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