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Zithandani Stepping Stones and Creating Futures - Phase 2 Pilot

Not Applicable
Not yet recruiting
Conditions
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)
Earning Outcomes
Mental Health
Couple Communication
Couple Conflict
Couples
Livelihoods
Registration Number
NCT06975137
Lead Sponsor
University of Exeter
Brief Summary

The goal of this uncontrolled intervention study is to assess whether Zithandani Stepping Stones and Creating Futures is feasible to deliver, acceptable for participants, safe for participants and to estimate effect sizes, in young (ages 18-40 years) heterosexual couples, living in urban informal settlements in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa. The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Is Zithandani SSCF feasible to deliver to young couples, and what are the barriers and opportunities in intervention delivery?

2. Is Zithandani SSCF acceptable to participants? What do they like and what do they not like about the intervention?

3. Is Zithandani SSCF safe for female participants and do they engage adequately?

4. Does Zithandani SSCF show indication of positive change on key indicators and what are the effect sizes?

Participants will be recruited as heterosexual couples and participate in 14 sessions, each approximately 3 hours long, with between 4 and 6 other couples, focused on gender norms, livelihoods and communication.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
100
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Physical IPV6 months post baseline

Self-reports focused on men's perpetration and women's experience of physical intimate partner violence in the past 3 months, based on the WHO Violence Against Women Module - with 5 items. Recoded as a binary (yes/no)

Sexual IPV6 months post baseline

Self-reports focused on men's perpetration and women's experience of sexual intimate partner violence in the past 3 months, based on the WHO Violence Against Women Module - with 3 items. Recoded as a binary (yes/no)

Emotional IPV6 months post baseline

Self-reports focused on men's perpetration and women's experience of sexual intimate partner violence in the past 3 months, based on the WHO Violence Against Women Module - with 8 items. Recoded as a binary (yes/no)

Economic IPV6 months post baseline

Self-reports focused on men's perpetration and women's experience of sexual intimate partner violence in the past 3 months, based on the WHO Violence Against Women Module - with 7 items. Recoded as a binary (yes/no)

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Gender Attitudes6 months post baseline

Attitudes in relation to gender and acceptability of violence (9 items) based on prior research in South Africa. Responses (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree) range 9-45, higher scores indicative of greater inequitable gender attitudes.

Violence towards children6 months post baseline

Among those reporting a child living in their home, perpetration of physical and/or emotional abuse in the past 4 weeks against the child, using 4 items. Recoded into yes/no.

Trust in relationship/partner measured using the Dyadic Trust scale6 months post baseline

8 Items forming the Dyadic Trust (Larzelere \& Huston, 1980), summed with range 8-45. Higher scores indicate more trust in relationship/partner.

Relationship Satisfaction6 months post baseline

5 items (Woolf-King et al., 2019) focused on satisfaction in relationship, with scores from 0-50, and higher scores indicate greater satisfaction in relationship.

Fear of Emotional Intimacy6 months post baseline

35 items, from (Descutner \& Thelen, 1991) responses Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree (5 point Likert), range 35-175. Higher scores indicate greater fear of emotional intimacy.

Empathy for Partner assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index for Couples (IRIC) scale.6 months post baseline

13 items, Empathetic concern using the Interpersonal Reactivity Index for Couples (IRIC) scale. (Péloquin \& Lafontaine, 2010) summed together to create score. Score range: 0-52, with higher scores indicating greater empathy for partner.

Sexual Intimacy6 months post baseline

13 items, drawn from Conroy et al. (2021), developed in Malawi, and previously used in South Africa. Responses: Strongly disagree to strongly agree (4 point Likert response). Individual items summed together to create a continuous score (13-52). Higher scores indicative of greater sexual intimacy

Communication with partner assessed using the Communications Pattern Questionnaire6 months post baseline

11 items, from the Communications Pattern Questionnaire and previously used in South Africa (Woolf-King et al., 2019). Range 11-55, higher scores indicate 'better' communication with partner.

Depressive Symptoms assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ9)6 months post baseline

Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ9) asking about past 2 week symptoms of depression. Range 0-27. Higher scores indicative of more symptoms of depression.

Anxiety Symptoms assessed using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD7) questionnaire6 months post baseline

Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD7) (Spitzer et al., 2006) asking about past 2 weeks symptoms of anxiety. Range 0-21. Highers scores indicative of more symptoms of anxiety.

Emotional Dysregulation assessed using the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale 166 months post baseline

Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale 16 (DERS-16) - 16 items (Bjureberg et al., 2016) adapted for use in South Africa. Range 16-80, with higher scores indicating greater emotional dysregulation.

Alcohol Consumption in past 3 months, assessed with modified Alcohol use disorders identification test consumption (AUDIT C)6 months post baseline

Alcohol use disorders identification test consumption (AUDIT C) (3 items). Rather than asking about past 12 months as is normal, items reworded to ask about past 3 months (e.g. In the last 3 months, how often do you have a drink containing alcohol?). Response options as in original scale. Scores range from 0-13, with higher scores indicating more alcohol consumption.

Earnings in past month6 months post baseline

A single item question asks "Considering all the money you earned from jobs or selling things (excluding grants), how much did you earn last month?" Responses are in Rands (ZAR) and a continuous scale, with no upper limit.

Money participant saved in past month6 months post baseline

A single item question asks "In the last month how much did you put aside for savings?" Responses are in Rands (ZAR) and are on a continuous scale, with no upper limit.

Hunger in the past month6 months post baseline

Household food-security questionnaire (3 items) asking about hunger in the household in the past 4 weeks. Range 3-12 with higher scores indicative of greater food insecurity.

Frequency of work efforts6 months post baseline

7 items asking about work effort in the past 3 months, adapted for use in South Africa. Scored 0-3, with range 0-21, with higher scores indicative of greater livelihoods effort.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

South African Medical Research Council

🇿🇦

Durban, South Africa

South African Medical Research Council
🇿🇦Durban, South Africa
Yandisa Sikweyiya
Contact
+27 31 203 4737
yandisa.sikweyiya@mrc.ac.za

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