CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02069301LIFE-DMUpdated Nov 30, 2017

Evaluation of an Integrated Microfinance and Depression Care Program for Women

An interventional study of Integrated Depression/Microfinance Group and Treatment as Usual in Depression, sponsored by RAND. Completed at 4 sites in Vietnam. Open to female participants aged 18 Years to 55 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2017-11-30.

Sponsored by RAND · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
166
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years to 55 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

The study evaluates LIFE-DM, an integrated microfinance and collaborative care intervention by comparing it to enhanced treatment as usual (national guideline antidepressant care and referral to microfinance resources) in Vietnam. Intervention effects at baseline, 6 month, and 12 month follow-up on patient outcomes, including depression, anxiety, quality of life, functioning, self-efficacy, satisfaction, and income will be compared across the two conditions.

Read the detailed description

Depression is one of the largest contributors to the world's health burden. Prior work in the Partners in Care study has shown that evidence-based service delivery programs for depression can improve health outcomes in depressed patients, and especially in minorities, largely overcoming disparities in outcomes from care between whites and minorities. Effective treatments exist, but they do not reach many depressed individuals, especially in resource-poor communities--ethnic minorities, rural residents in the United States, and individuals in most of the developing world.

Women, in particular, are at risk for depression and poverty. Integrating programs that treat depression and address livelihood concerns may improve engagement in depression treatment and improve mental health and functioning for patients in low-resource settings. The proposed study would integrate depression care with existing "microfinance" programs, which provide poverty-alleviation services including small loans, savings programs, and vocational training to women.

This project will (1) conduct qualitative studies of barriers and facilitators of women's successful use of existing depression care and microfinance programs; (2) adapt and integrate the depression care and microfinance services; (3) train Women's Union facilitators to deliver the integrated depression care and microfinance program; and conduct evaluation of LIFE-DM program to assess acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness. The non-randomized control trial compares the integrated microfinance and collaborative care intervention with enhanced treatment as usual (national guideline antidepressant care and referral to microfinance resources) at the Women's Union in Danang city in Vietnam.

02

Conditions studied

  • Depression

Keywords

  • Behavior Activation
  • Problem solving therapy
  • Depression Treatment
  • depression care integration
  • microfinance
  • livelihood
03

In context

Depression

8,057 studies on the registry are indexed under Depression; 1,641 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 166 is above the median of 84 across 6,720 interventional studies indexed under Depression.

Browse Depression studies →

Lead sponsor

RAND is the lead sponsor of 110 studies on the registry; 6 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 55 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • depression, low-income

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • psychosis, mania, substance abuse, high suicide risk, physical disabilities, significant cognitive impairments
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
166 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Integrated Depression/Microfinance Group

    LIFE-DM is a Depression and Microfinance integrated program using behavior activation and problem solving therapy applied to both depression and livelihood. Livelihood support include microfinance loans, personal finance, and income-generation skills.

    Behavioral: Integrated Depression/Microfinance Group · Other: Treatment as Usual · Other: Livelihood Support

  • Other
    Treatment as Usual

    Currently treatment as usual in this province includes national guidelines for antidepressant care for depression and referral for microfinance/livelihood programs

    Other: Treatment as Usual

Interventions

  • BehavioralIntegrated Depression/Microfinance Group

    LIFE-DM Integrated Depression and Microfinance group, uses behavior activation and problem solving therapy skills to teach patients how to manage mood and reach livelihood goals.

    Also known as: LIFE-DM Group

  • OtherTreatment as Usual

    National Guideline for antidepressant care

    Also known as: Guideline antidepressant care, Fluoxetine, Amitrytaline, other antidepressants

  • OtherLivelihood Support

    Livelihood support, including group-based loans to develop small enterprise, personal finance management education, business management skills, vocational training, and rotating-credit savings program.

    Also known as: Microfinance loans

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Depression Score from the Patient Health Questionnaire

    The PHQ-9 is a nine-item validated tool measuring depressive symptoms based on DSM-IV criteria. The answers are rated on a scale from zero (not at all) to three (nearly every day). Total scores range from 0-27, subdivided into five categories of depression severity: 1 to 4 is minimal; 5 to 9 is mild; 10 to 14 is moderate; 15 to 19 is moderate-severe; and 20 and above is severe. The PHQ-9 has been widely used internationally including in Vietnam.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Quality of Life Score from Quality of Life and Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire

    The Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire is a self-report measure designed to enable investigators to easily obtain sensitive measures of the degree of enjoyment and satisfaction experienced by subjects in various areas of daily functioning. The summary scores were found to be reliable and valid measures of these dimensions in a group of depressed outpatients. The Q-LES-Q measures were related to, but not redundant with, measures of overall severity of illness or severity of depression within this sample. These findings suggest that the Q-LES-Q measures may be sensitive to important differences among depressed patients that are not detected by the measures usually employed.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  2. Change in Self-Efficacy Score from Self Efficacy Survey

    Items were developed to assess effectiveness of a goal-setting and planning intervention (Macleod et al., 2008). Self-efficacy is assessed via 4-items that measure locus of control, materials and skills to complete goals, confidence, and optimism. Self-efficacy is rated on a 9-point scale from 1 ("Not at all") to 9 ("To a great extent").

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  3. Change in Social Support Index from Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey

    A brief, multidimensional, selfadministered, social support survey that was developed for patients in the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS), a two-year study of patients with chronic conditions. This survey was designed to be comprehensive in terms of recent thinking about the various dimensions of social support.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  4. Change in health and mental health functioning scores from Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey (SF-12)

    The SF-12v2 is a 12-item survey that measures the same eight domains of health. The domains scores are summarized into two composite scores: Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary scores. The survey is a brief, reliable measure of overall health status. It is useful in large population health surveys and has been used in Vietnamese populations.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  5. Change in Anxiety Symptom Score from Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) Scale

    The GAD-7 is a 7-item anxiety scale used for screening and assessing symptom severity of GAD. GAD and depression symptoms frequently occurred together, but factor analysis confirmed them as distinct dimensions, and they had independent effects on functional impairment and disability. Self-report and interviewer-administered versions of GAD-7 were in good agreement.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  6. Change in Behavior Activation Score from the Behavior Activation for Depression Scale Short Form (BADS-SF)

    The abbreviated BADS-SF is a nine-item scale measuring factors expected to change as a function of behavioral activation, including activation and avoidance

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  7. Change in household wealth indicators from Economic Well-Being Inventory

    The economic well-being inventory collect various indicators of self-reported household wealth: housing materials, land ownership, home ownership, and selling and purchasing of assets such as livestock and durable goods (car, bicycle, radio, TV), as well as income, savings, and debt. This economic well-being inventory was used in the Danang Household Mental Health Survey.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  8. Change in number and type of income generating activities from the Employment and business Activities Questionnaire

    We developed questionnaire to measure income generating activities, which include questions about participation and number of hours in types of employment and income generating activities in Low-Income countries, including formal salaried employment, farming and planting food, selling goods and services, property rentals, etc.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  9. Treatment Acceptability Score from Help-Seeking Behavior Questionnaire

    This measure consists of items that assesses 1) resources in the community, 2) participant's help seeking history, 3) perceived effectiveness, and 4) acceptability of a variety of strategies used for depression care.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  10. Depression Stigma Score from the Depression Stigma Questionnaire

    18 item questionnaire about perceived and personal stigma related to depression.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  11. Social Capital Score from Social Capital Assessment Tool

    The short version of the Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool (SASCAT) is a nine-item tool measures the structural (quantity of social relationships) and cognitive (quality of social relationships) components of social capital as well as citizenship. The measure derived from the Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool (A-SCAT) (Harpham et al., 2002). The measures has been used in many international settings, including developing countries.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  12. Total Score Client Service Satisfaction Questionnaire

    A standardized measure with strong psychometric properties that could be used to assess general satisfaction across varied health and human services. The CSQ Scales® (CSQ) measure may be used to assess client satisfaction with mental health services, as a program evaluation tool, or to assess client satisfaction within and across programs (intra- or inter-program) and demographic groups.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

  13. Number of Participants Demonstrating Mental Health Literacy with Depression Vignette

    Vignette describes someone with the minimal number of symptoms necessary for major depression (according to DSM description). Respondents were asked an open-ended question, ''What would you say, if anything, is wrong with Mary?'' Only answers including " depression " are considered a correct response.

    Time frame: 0, 12 months

  14. Number of Participants with Depression Diagnosis - MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Version 6.0 (MINI)

    The MINI is a brief structured psychiatric interview used to diagnose for multiple axis I DSM-IV mental disorders. In this study, the MINI is used to assess for major depressive episodes. Using DSM-IV criteria (at least 5 symptoms of depression over a 2 week period; endorsement of depressed mood or anhedonia were necessary for diagnosis) the interviewers can distinguish between past, current, and recurrent episodes of depression. The MINI is a reliable and valid alternative to the longer Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic. The MINI has been used widely in developing countries and administered by non-mental health providers.

    Time frame: 0, 6, 12 months

07

Study locations

4 sites
  • Hoa Cuong Bac Commune Health Station
    Da Nang, Vietnam
  • Hoa Cuong Nam Commune Health Station
    Da Nang, Vietnam
  • Hoa Hiep Nam Commune Health Station
    Da Nang, Vietnam
  • Hoa Minh Commune Health Station
    Da Nang, Vietnam
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Ngo VK, Weiss B, Lam T, Dang T, Nguyen T, Nguyen MH. The Vietnam Multicomponent Collaborative Care for Depression Program: Development of Depression Care for Low- and Middle-Income Nations. J Cogn Psychother. 2014;28(3):156-167. doi: 10.1891/0889-8391.28.3.156. PubMed 25568593 ↗
09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Nov 30, 2017, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02069301
Lead sponsor
RAND
Collaborators
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Danang Psychiatric Hospital
Responsible party
Victoria K. Ngo, PhD (Behavior Scientist, RAND) — Principal investigator
First posted
Feb 24, 2014
Start date
Feb 2014
Primary completion
Sep 2015
Completion
Sep 2016
Last update
Nov 30, 2017

Study contacts

Victoria K Ngo, PhD
principal investigator · RAND

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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