Participation in Micro-Finance Programmes and Women’s Mental Health in South Asia: A Modified Systematic Review

Madhani, Farhana; Tompkins, Catherine; Jack, Susan M.; Fisher, Anita

doi:10.1080/00220388.2015.1036037

Cited by 19 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…In line with the findings above, economic outcomes still dominate across all studies, irrespective of quality, followed by gender and social outcomes. ., Hidalgo, 2009Steinert et al, 2018Vaessen et al, 2013Awaworyi, 2014Habib et al, 2016Peters et al, 2016Reshmi et al, 2017Stewart et al, 2012Stewart et al, 2010Arrivillaga et al, 2014Yang et al, 2013Cole et al, 2012Kennedy et al, 2012Pande et al, 2012Madhani et al, 2015Palmkvist et al, 2015Awaworyi et al, 2016Awaworyi, 2015 F I G U R E 3 Number of primary studies per meta-study (11 medium-/high-confidence meta-studies highlighted Total 183 63 24 96 22 72 38 37 14 11 medium-and high-confidence studies Worth examining also is the number of outcomes reported by type of synthesis approach, as outlined in Figure 7, below.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of financial inclusion in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of reviews

Duvendack¹,

Mader²

2019

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| PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY | Financial inclusion interventions have very small and inconsistent impactsA wide range of financial inclusion programmes seek to increase poor people's access to financial services to enhance the welfare of poor and low-income households in low-and middle-income countries. The impacts of financial inclusion interventions are small and variable.Although some services have some positive effects for some people, overall financial inclusion may be no better than comparable alternatives, such as graduation or livelihoods interventions. | What is this review about?Financial inclusion programmes seek to increase access to financial services such as credit, savings, insurance and money transfers and so allow poor and low-income households in low-and middle-income countries to enhance their welfare, grasp opportunities, mitigate shocks, and ultimately escape poverty. This systematic review of reviews assesses the evidence on economic, social, behavioural and gender-related outcomes from financial inclusion. 1.3 | What are the main findings of this review? 1.3.1 | What studies are included? This review includes studies that synthesise the findings of other studies (meta-studies) regarding the impacts of a range of financial inclusion interventions on economic, social, gender and behavioural outcomes. A total of 32 such meta-studies were identified, of which 11 were of sufficient methodological quality to be included in the final analysis. The review examined meta-studies from 2010 onwards that spanned the globe in terms of geographical coverage.Impacts are more likely to be positive than negative, but the effects vary, are often mixed, and appear not to be transformative in scope or scale, as they largely occur in the early stages of the causal chain of effects. Overall, the effects of financial services on core economic poverty indicators such as incomes, assets or spending, and on health status and other social outcomes, are small and inconsistent. Moreover, there is no evidence for meaningful behaviour-change outcomes leading to further positive effects.The effects of financial services on women's empowerment appear to be generally positive, but they depend upon programme features which are often only peripheral or unrelated to the financial service What is the aim of this review?This systematic review of reviews systematically collects and appraises all of the existing meta-studies-that is systematic reviews and meta-analyses-of the impact of financial inclusion.The authors first analyse the strength of the methods used in those meta-studies, then synthesize the findings from those that are of a sufficient quality, and finally, report the implications for policy, programming, practice and further research arising from the evidence. Eleven studies are included in the analysis.---

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of financial inclusion in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of reviews

Duvendack¹,

Mader²

2019

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“…Recent evidence from experimental interventions may be able to contribute key data towards estimating the relative contribution of each link in the SES-mental health cycle: There are a growing number of (a) poverty reduction programs that assess mental health outcomes and (b) mental health interventions that assess economic outcomes ( Lund et al, 2011 ). For example, Mexico’s Opportunidades conditional cash transfer program has shown improved mental health outcomes, although not all programs have been successful ( Ozer et al, 2011 , Madhani et al, 2015 , Green et al, 2016 , Kilburn et al, 2016 ). Evaluations of the economic impact of mental health interventions (addressing the social drift hypothesis) are still relatively rare.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socioeconomic status indicators and common mental disorders: Evidence from a study of prenatal depression in Pakistan

Maselko

Bates²,

Bhalotra

et al. 2018

SSM - Population Health

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There is growing interest in the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), poverty, and mental health in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). However, it is not clear whether a gradient approach focused on a wider SES distribution or a binary poverty approach is more salient for mental health in LMIC. Yet this distinction has implications for interventions aimed at improving population health. We contribute to the literature by examining how multiple indicators of socioeconomic status, including gradient SES and binary poverty indicators, contribute to prenatal depression symptoms in a LMIC context. Prenatal depression is an important public health concern with negative sequela for the mother and her children. We use data on assets, education, food insecurity, debt, and depression symptoms from a sample of 1154 pregnant women residing in rural Pakistan. Women who screened positive for depression participated in a cluster randomized controlled trial of a perinatal depression intervention; all women were interviewed October 2015-February 2016, prior to the start of the intervention. Cluster-specific sampling weights were used to approximate a random sample of pregnant women in the area. Findings indicate that fewer assets, experiencing food insecurity, and having household debt are independently associated with worse depression symptoms. The association with assets is linear with no evidence of a threshold effect, supporting the idea of a gradient in the association between levels of SES and depression symptoms. A gradient was also initially observed with woman’s educational attainment, but this association was attenuated once other SES variables were included in the model. Together, the asset, food insecurity, and debt indicators explain 14% of the variance in depression symptoms, more than has been reported in high income country studies. These findings support the use of multiple SES indicators to better elucidate the complex relationship between socioeconomic status and mental health in LMIC.

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“…WPD can have some positive outcomes, such as women’s increased participation in socioeconomic activities, which can in turn improve their status, independence, and health-seeking behaviors ( Ahmed et al, 2006 ; Dineen & Le, 2015 ; Hadi, 2001 , 2005 ; Hamad & Fernald, 2015 ; Kabir & Huo, 2011 ; Madhania et al, 2015 ; Nahar et al, 2011 ; Strobach & Zaumseil, 2007 ). An exclusive focus on WPD can, however, also create confusion and contradictions among men.…”

Section: Gender Inequality and Female-focused Development In Rural Bamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…WPD has also become a controversial issue connected to women’s vulnerabilities to higher workloads, marital conflict, and domestic violence. A few studies have reported that WPD can improve women’s income and health ( Dineen & Le, 2015 ; Hamad & Fernald, 2015 ; Kabir & Huo, 2011 ; Madhania, Tompkinsa, Jacka, & Fishera, 2015 ; Nahar, Banu, & Nasreen, 2011 ), whereas other studies reported that WPD may increase their workloads, family conflicts and exposure to domestic violence ( Angelucci, 2008 ; Ashraf Ali, 2014 ; Enloe, 2015 ; Hippert, 2011 ; Karim, Emmelin, Resurreccion, & Wamala, 2012 ; Sigalla & Carney, 2012 ).…”

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confidence: 99%

Men’s Perceptions of Women’s Participation in Development Initiatives in Rural Bangladesh

Karim

Lindberg

Wamala³

et al. 2017

Am J Mens Health

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Without taking masculine issues into account, women’s participation in development initiatives does not always guarantee their empowerment, health, and welfare in a male-dominated society. This study aimed to explore men’s perceptions of women’s participation in development (WPD) in rural Bangladesh. In adopting a qualitative approach, the study examined 48 purposively selected married and unmarried men aged 20–76 years in three northwest villages. Data collection was accomplished through four focus group discussions (FGDs) with 43 men clustered into four groups and through individual interviews with five other men. A qualitative content analysis of the data revealed an overall theme of “feeling challenged by fears and hopes,” indicating variations in men’s views on women’s participation in development initiatives as represented by three main categories: (a) fearing the loss of male authority, (b) recognizing women’s roles in enhancing family welfare, and (c) valuing women’s independence. In the context of dominant patriarchal traditions in Bangladesh, these findings provide new insight into dynamics and variations of men’s views, suggesting a need to better engage men during different stages of women-focused development initiatives.

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Participation in Micro-Finance Programmes and Women’s Mental Health in South Asia: A Modified Systematic Review

Cited by 19 publications

References 34 publications

Impact of financial inclusion in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of reviews

Impact of financial inclusion in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of reviews

Socioeconomic status indicators and common mental disorders: Evidence from a study of prenatal depression in Pakistan

Men’s Perceptions of Women’s Participation in Development Initiatives in Rural Bangladesh

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