International Food Policy Research Institute
This study’s objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of a low-cost psychotherapy intervention, group Problem Management Plus (gPM+), in improving mental health, child development, and related outcomes among rural Ethiopian households. gPM+ was delivered in separate arms by government-employed Health Extension Workers (HEWs) or stipended Local Facilitators (LFs) engaged by an NGO. Participants were drawn from the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) in Tigray, targeting individuals aged 18–64 years who showed signs of moderate to moderately severe depression. Villages across four districts were randomized into three arms: control, gPM+ delivered by HEWs, and gPM+ delivered by LFs. The study will be evaluated through a baseline, one-month and 12 month follow-up surveys. The data included here is from the screening and baseline surveys. The screening survey was conducted on 16,872 households to identify eligible individuals for the study, immediately followed by a baseline survey on the 3,744 households with an eligible respondent. The baseline survey collects information on household and individual characteristics including mental health, economic activities, and social behaviors. The data is organized by survey modules, screening modules include modules SA and SB, baseline modules include modules A-K. Module Z is last module on interview status filled out for all households that were screened.