Evaluation of Impacts of Access to Credit and Loan Size for Microcredit Clients in South Africa

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Mental Health; Depression; Stress
• Interventions: Other: Small loan

• Registration Number: NCT00700349
• Lead Sponsor: Innovations for Poverty Action

Brief Summary

This study involves randomization of individuals who were initially rejected from a micro-lending organization in South Africa. Subjects were placed into two arms: (1) not receiving a loan; (2) being reconsidered for a "second look." Of those in the second arm, 53% were then selected by the organization's loan officers to receive a standard loan for first-time borrowers. Mental health and financial data were collected at one timepoint: approximately 6-12 months after the subjects first applied for the loan.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2004-09
• Primary Completion: 2005-11
• Study Completion: 2005-11
• Status Verified: 2008-06
• Study First Submitted: 2008-06-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2008-06-17
• Last Update Submitted: 2008-06-17
• Study First Posted: 2008-06-18
• Last Update Posted: 2008-06-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 3000

Inclusion Criteria

• Subjects were recruited from those who had been rejected from a lending organization for non-fraudulent or non-overindebtness reasons.

Exclusion Criteria

• None.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
2	Small loan	Individuals who were rejected from receiving a loan from a micro-lending organization were randomized to receive a "second look," to be reconsidered for a loan by loan officers.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), a 20-item questionnaire (0 = no risk, 60 = highest risk)	At follow-up (6-12 months after subject enrollment)
Perceived stress, measured using the Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), a 10-item questionnaire (0 = no stress, 40 = high stress)	At follow-up (6-12 months after subject enrollment)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Household income, measured by a variety of questions that asked about all sources of income obtained by all members of the applicant's household.	At follow-up (6-12 months after subject enrollment)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Innovations for Poverty Action; 🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth, South Africa