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ACTIVE NOT RECRUITING

NCT07132905

Mpata Yathu Trial for Young Women in Zambia

Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco

View on ClinicalTrials.gov

Summary

This randomized controlled trial evaluates Mpata Yathu ("Our Space"), a trauma-informed, church-based counseling intervention for adolescent girls and young women in Lusaka, Zambia who have experienced gender-based violence and are living with or at risk for HIV. The intervention is delivered by lay counselors who provide individual problem-solving therapy and referrals for mental health, HIV, and GBV-related services. Participants are assigned to receive counseling immediately or after a three-month waitlist period. The study examines mental health, HIV-related outcomes, and the feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of delivering this community-based intervention.

Official title: Randomized Pilot Trial of Church-Based Problem-Solving Therapy for Adolescent Girls and Young Women With a History of Gender-Based Violence in Zambia

Key Details

Gender

FEMALE

Age Range

15 Years - 24 Years

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Enrollment

180

Start Date

2025-11-19

Completion Date

2026-10-31

Last Updated

2026-08-12

Healthy Volunteers

Conditions

HIV Common Mental Health Problems PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Depression Disorder Anxiety

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Mpata Yathu ("Our Space")

Mpata Yathu is a church-based, lay counselor-delivered psychological intervention adapted from the Friendship Bench problem-solving therapy (PST) model. Designed for adolescent girls and young women in Zambia with a history of gender-based violence and elevated mental health symptoms, the intervention includes six weekly individual PST sessions delivered in private spaces within Catholic churches. Lay counselors are trained in trauma-informed, survivor-centered care and offer optional referrals to mental health, HIV, or GBV-related services. Mpata Yathu maintains the core structure of Friendship Bench but was adapted through community-partnered participatory research to meet the sociocultural needs of Zambian youth.

Inclusion Criteria: To be eligible for enrollment in the RCT, participants must meet the following criteria: 1. aged 15 to 24 years; 2. Speak Nyanja, Bemba, and/or English fluently; 3. Reside in the Matero or Chawama constituency area during the time of recruitment; 4. Report lifetime exposure to GBV, as assessed by the following sections of the WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women instrument: * Section 7 (Physical Violence by Intimate Partner): Reports of being slapped, pushed, hit with a fist, kicked, dragged, choked, or threatened/attacked with a weapon by a husband or partner. * Section 8 (Sexual Violence by Intimate Partner): Reports of being physically forced to have sex, having sex out of fear, or being forced to engage in degrading sexual acts by a husband or partner. * Section 9 (Emotional Abuse by Intimate Partner): Reports of being insulted, belittled, intimidated, or threatened by a partner. * Section 10 (Physical Violence by Non-Partner): Lifetime experiences of being beaten or physically mistreated by someone other than a partner since age 15. * Section 11 (Sexual Violence by Non-Partner): Forced sex or sexual acts since age 15 by a non-partner, and childhood sexual abuse before age 15. 5. Exhibit moderate depressive symptoms indicated by a score of 10-14 on the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), or common mental disorder (CMD) symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety) as indicated by a score of 9 or higher on the 14-item Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ-14); and 6. Be living with HIV or demonstrate HIV risk behaviors, as defined by validated items from the World AIDS Foundation survey,25 including unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, coerced sex, or transactional sex. Exclusion Criteria: Women will be excluded if they: 1. Require emergency treatment for any crisis (mental, physical, emotional) at the time of screening 2. Report severe symptoms of depression (score \> 14 on PHQ-9) or no to mild depression symptoms (PHQ-9 score \<10), and/or severe anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale or GAD-7 (score \>14 on GAD-7) 3. Have intellectual or cognitive disabilities that limit their ability to complete the screening tools, interact with a lay counselor and/or provide informed consent; and/or 4. Are considered in immediate danger (e.g., reoccurring physical violence) during time of the study. 5. Are currently receiving formal mental health counseling or psychotherapy (to avoid duplication of care and potential confounding effects).

Locations (2)

Not applicable (multi-site study)

Lusaka, Zambia

Not disclosed for privacy reasons