Income Volatility and Mental Health, Full Experiment

NCT06988410 | Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: OSP169128R01AG076655
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 2,267
• 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. This 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 understanding of health gaps across populations.

Conditions

Depression; Anxiety; Blood Pressure

Keywords

income instability; uncertainty

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• 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 will be taken at endline (after 6 2-week periods of intervention). Respondents will be asked to evaluate each item over the last 10 days.

• Anxiety

  Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7 scale, each item is scored 0-3. Multiplying the range per item (0-3) by the number of items (7) gives the total corresponding range of the scale: 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate worse mental health.

  The measurement will be taken at endline (after 6 2-week periods of intervention). Respondents will be asked to evaluate each item over the last 10 days.

• Dietary Diversity

  The Household Dietary Diversity Score is used to measure households' food access on the number of food groups they had consumed (out of 11). The measure sums the number of categories with any positive consumption by the household resulting in a total score between 0 and 11. Households that consume a greater number of food groups are considered to have greater dietary diversity (i.e. more is better).

  The measurement will be taken at endline (after 6 2-week periods of intervention). Respondents will be asked to evaluate each item over the last ten days.

• Blood Pressure

  Blood Pressure Measurement, recorded in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) with two components: systolic and diastolic. Higher values indicate increased cardiovascular risk

  The measurement will be taken at endline (after 6 2-week periods of intervention).

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 amount and earn the same amount 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 and will earn more. In the remaining three periods, she will work fewer hours and will earn less. However, on average, the work offered will be the same as in the stable arm. 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 and earns more and a 50% chance that she works fewer hours and earns less. The expected average earnings remain the same as the stable arm and the predictable arm, though specific individuals may earn more or less.

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 - 60 Years
• Sex: female
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Between ages of 18 - 60
• Female
• Lives in a household with 5 or fewer adults

You may not qualify if:

• Pregnancy

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cornell University: lead
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): collaborator
• Innovations for Poverty Action: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Innovations for Poverty Action

Tamale, Ghana

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Depression; Anxiety Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior; Mental Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Heather Schofield, PhD

CONTACT

6178630726; hws44@cornell.edu

Leandro Carvalho, PhD

CONTACT

lcarvalh@usc.edu

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: May 16, 2025
• First Posted: May 23, 2025
• Study Start: April 17, 2025
• Primary Completion: August 29, 2025
• Study Completion: October 12, 2025
• Last Updated: May 31, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, ICF, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Within 1 year after publication with no end date
• Access Criteria: No criteria, any individual who would like to download it from the PI's website or a public repository.

Locations

GH (1)