Income Volatility and Mental Health, Pilot Study

NCT06357286 | Completed Results DMC

• 1 other identifier: IRB0148156
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 390
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Income instability is a defining aspect of the lives of the poor, who also disproportionately suffer from poor mental and physical health. Our research is the first to assess the causal effects of predictable and unpredictable income instability on the psychological and physical health of the poor. It will advance the scientific knowledge on the effects of economic instability as well as our understanding of health disparities.

Conditions

Depression

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Depression

  Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-8, each item is scored 0-3. Multiplying the range per item (0-3) by the number of items (8) gives the total corresponding range of the scale: 0 to 24. Higher scores indicate worse mental health.

  The measurement was taken at endline (after 8 weeks of intervention). Respondents were asked to evaluate each item over the last two weeks.

Study Arms (4)

Control

NO INTERVENTION

The Control arm will not be hired by the cash-for-work program but will be surveyed.

Stable income arm

EXPERIMENTAL

The Stable Income arm will work the same number of hours (36) and earn the same amount (108 cedis) every period.

Behavioral: Work opportunities

Predictable Instability Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

The hours and earnings of the Predictable Instability arm will vary over time. In three periods, the participant will work longer hours (60) and will earn more (180 cedis). In the remaining three periods, she will work fewer hours (12) and will earn less (36 cedis). Crucially, she will be able to predict all swings in her study earnings in the future-i.e., she will know her hours and earnings in each future period.

Behavioral: Work opportunities

Unpredictable Instability Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

The hours and earnings of the Unpredictable Instability arm will vary unpredictably over time. In any given period, there will be a 50% chance that she works longer hours (60) and earns more (180 cedis) and a 50% chance that she works fewer hours (12) and earns less (36 cedis).

Behavioral: Work opportunities

Interventions

Work opportunities BEHAVIORAL

Individuals in the treated arms of the study will be offered work opportunities (sewing bags) to earn cash. The timing of these opportunities and knowledge of the amount and timing varies by experimental arm.

Predictable Instability Arm; Stable income arm; Unpredictable Instability Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• between the ages of 18 and 65
• female
• lives in a household with fewer than 5 adults

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnancy at enrollment

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cornell University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Innovations for Poverty Action

Tamale, Ghana

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Heather Schofield
• Organization: Cornell University

hws44@cornell.edu

6172334775

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 4, 2024
• First Posted: April 10, 2024
• Study Start: May 25, 2024
• Primary Completion: October 10, 2024
• Study Completion: November 15, 2024
• Last Updated: April 15, 2025
• Results First Posted: April 15, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Locations

GH (1)