Impacts of the Indashyikirwa Program on Intimate Partner Violence in Syria

Not Applicable

Active, not recruiting

• Conditions: Well-being/Quality of Life; Decision Making; Gender-Based Violence; Gender Equality; Gender Role; Empowerment; Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

• Registration Number: NCT06735417
• Lead Sponsor: International Security and Development Center gGmbH

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Indashyikirwa program in enhancing women's empowerment and reducing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in conflict-affected communities in Northeast Syria.

The intervention group will participate in the Indashyikirwa ("Agents of Change") program, which includes a comprehensive couples' training module and access to safe spaces. The control group will not receive the Indashyikirwa program. Both intervention and control groups are beneficieries of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) support and Vocational Training (VT) to promote economic empowerment.

The study employs a cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT) design. Out of 30 pre-identified villages, 15 villages were randomly assigned to receive the Indashyikirwa program and 15 villages will not receive the Indashyikirwa program. The villages were located within the same sub-districts to ensure a balanced geographic distribution of the intervention.

Based on a power analysis with 80% power, at least 16 married couples from eligible SME and VT beneficiaries will be voluntarily enrolled in each village to receive the Indashyikirwa intervention. Similarly, 16 eligible SME and VT married couples from control villages will be enrolled using the same voluntary participation principle. To account for potential attrition, 20 couples per village will be initially enrolled, ensuring a robust sample size for analysis. This approach results in a total sample size of 600 couples (or 1,200 individual participants).

The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of Indashyikirwa program on key outcomes, including the reduction in IPV, transformation of gender norms, enhancement of women's empowerment, improvements in intra-household dynamics, economic benefits to the household.

Data collection will involve structured surveys administered separately to both husbands and wives. Surveys will be conducted at four time points: baseline, 2 months post-intervention, 12 months post-intervention, and 24 months post-intervention.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-11-03
• Status Verified: 2024-12
• Study First Submitted: 2024-12-05
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-12-13
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-12-13
• Study First Posted: 2024-12-16
• Last Update Posted: 2024-12-16
• Primary Completion: 2027-10-30
• Study Completion: 2028-01-01

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1200

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

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Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in intimate partner violence incidence over time	2 months, 12 months and 24 months post-intervention	Frequency of women experience or man perpetration of economic, physical, and emotional IPV as assessed by the standardized Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in the past 12 months
Changes in acceptability of wife beating over time	2 months, 12 months and 24 months post-intervention	Number of justifications for wife beating as assessed by the standardized Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in the past 12 months, as reported by female participants

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in the level of conflict in intimate relationships over time	2 months, 12 months and 24 months post-intervention	The frequencies of quarrels in the past 12 months, as reported separately by male and female participants
Changes in the level of marriage satisfaction among couples over time	2 months, 12 months and 24 months post-intervention	The reported level of current satisfaction with the marital relationship, as reported separately by male and female participants
Extent of relationship quality with the partner	2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention	Frequency of self-reported experience of trust, care, and respect with the partner, separately for female and male participants
Level of women involvement in intra-household decision-making	2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention	Number of women reporting their ability to make household decisions alone or jointly with their husband, separately for male and female participants
Extent of spousal support in women's business	2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention	Frequency of women's reporting husband's support for their business or economic activities
Level of women's self-efficacy in economic activities	2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention	Frequency of women agreeing with statements on current self-efficacy and confidence in managing business tasks
Extent of women's mobility and decision-making autonomy	2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention	Number of women requiring their husband's permission to access work or health services
Extent of peer support to women	2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention	Number of peers offering direct support to women, as reported by female participants
Assessing current level of positive well-being among couples	2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention	The self-reported level of well-being among women and men, as measured in the survey using the Pearlin Mastery Scale
Changes in the extent of agreement to favorable gender norms over time	2 months, 12 months, and 24 months post-intervention	The level of agreement on acceptable gender norms in the home and society, as reported separately by male and female participants

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Syria Resilience Initiative; 🇸🇾 Al-Hasakah, Syrian Arab Republic