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Multifamily Healing Spaces for Family Resilience in Rwanda
Sponsor: Alexandros Lordos, PhD
Summary
This cluster-randomized waitlist-control trial evaluated Multifamily Healing Spaces (MFHS), a culturally adapted behavioral family intervention for genocide-affected communities in Rwanda. Community members across five districts were screened through a staged triage process. Individuals with acute or severe clinical concerns were routed to clinical referral, those with individual mental-health needs were prioritized for Resilience-Oriented Therapy, and families were invited to MFHS when at least one screened family member met criteria for family communication difficulties. Twenty eligible clusters were randomly selected and then allocated to MFHS or waitlist control. The baseline cohort included 319 family members aged 12 years or older. The trial tested whether MFHS improved family resilience, parenting, couple and youth family-system outcomes, and secondary mental health, psychosocial, community, and livelihood outcomes from baseline to immediate post-intervention endline.
Official title: The Effectiveness of Multi-Family Healing Spaces on Family Resilience and Mental Health Outcomes: A Multi-Site Cluster-Randomized Waitlist-Control Trial in Rwanda
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
12 Years - Any
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
319
Start Date
2023-04-28
Completion Date
2023-09-15
Last Updated
2026-06-02
Healthy Volunteers
No
Interventions
Multifamily Healing Spaces
MFHS is a culturally adapted, group-based family intervention for genocide-affected communities in Rwanda. It includes 18 core 3-hour meeting occasions in intergenerational, whole-family, parent-only, and youth-only formats. Sessions focus on trauma-informed psychoeducation, family communication and problem solving, shared meaning-making, parenting, couple relationships, youth voice, and family and community resilience. Groups were facilitated by trained facilitators, including a therapist and community volunteer, with facilitator training and supervision.
Locations (5)
Community and Health-Centre Settings, Ngoma District
Ngoma, Eastern Province, Rwanda
Community and Health-Centre Settings, Nyagatare District
Nyagatare, Eastern Province, Rwanda
Community and Health-Centre Settings, Musanze District
Ruhengeri, Northern Province, Rwanda
Community and Health-Centre Settings, Nyamagabe District
Nyamagabe, Southern Province, Rwanda
Community and Health-Centre Settings, Nyabihu District
Nyabihu, Western Province, Rwanda