CClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT05208723DWMTSUpdated Feb 15, 2022

Addressing Stress Amongst Female Entrepreneurs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a Pilot Study

An interventional study of Stress and emotion management in Stress, Psychological, Emotion Regulation and Social Psychology, sponsored by World Bank. Status unknown at 1 site in Ethiopia. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-02-15.

Sponsored by World Bank · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified Feb 2022), so the status shown — last known as Active, not recruiting — may be out of date.

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 5 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jul 2021, registered Dec 2021).
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
200
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
Female
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Study summary

The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the "Doing What Matters in Times of Stress Guided Self-Help" handbook along with lay helper session on managing stress and emotion on mental distress and well-being. If successful, the study will assess its impact on business performance among women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia.

Read the detailed description

The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of the "Doing What Matters in Times of Stress Guided Self-Help Manual" on mental distress and if successful, see its impact on business performance among women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia. The study will be conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to investigate the impact of the "Doing What Matters in Times of Stress Guided Self-Help Manual" intervention to reduce psychological distress and functional impairment among women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia. The investigators will screen approximately1200 women over the phone and identify 200 eligible women for the study. An in-person baseline survey will be conducted with the 200 eligible women and the participants will be randomized (using computer generated randomization) to either the doing what matters in times of stress self-help manual intervention (n=100) or wait list control (n=100). This will be followed by 6 phone-based sessions over 6-8 weeks to review handbook materials for the intervention group only. After six weeks, phone-based follow-up survey will be conducted with participants in both the intervention and control groups. If the intervention is found to be effective in reducing distress or stress at follow-up assessment, then the baseline survey will be repeated at 6-9 months post intervention both for the intervention and control group participants. Additionally, based on findings from the pilot study a larger sample of participants will be screened and enrolled (approximately 1000 women) and randomized to the intervention or wait-list control arm to be followed up at 6-9 months post intervention. The primary outcomes for this study will be psychological distress. Participants' performance on their businesses and self-esteem will be secondary outcomes for the study. A generalized linear model with appropriate statistical specifications and accounting for baseline values and any imbalanced variables at baseline (where available) will be used to analyze the data.

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Conditions studied

  • Stress, Psychological
  • Emotion Regulation
  • Social Psychology
  • Economic Problems
  • Mental Stress

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Keywords

  • Stress management
  • Economic benefits
  • Mental health
03

In context

Stress, Psychological

783 studies on the registry are indexed under Stress, Psychological; 128 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 200 is above the median of 85 across 632 interventional studies indexed under Stress, Psychological.

Browse Stress, Psychological studies →

Lead sponsor

World Bank is the lead sponsor of 11 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.

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

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥18;
  • Women entrepreneurs who obtained loan or business skills training from WEDP;
  • Those who have plan to live in Addis Ababa in the next six months;
  • Those who can read and speak Amharic and can understand the study questionnaire;
  • Those who have capacity to provide informed consent;
  • Score 8 or above on the Ethiopian adaptation of Kessler-6;

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Kessler 6 score >20;
  • Those who have recent or current suicidal thoughts or plans;
  • Those who have limitation to understand the study questionnaire;
  • Those who have not capacity to provide informed consent;
  • Do not own a mobile phone;
  • Not interested in receiving the intervention
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Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Investigator)
Enrollment
200 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Stress and emotion management

    A locally adapted self-help guidebook originally developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), 'Doing what matters in times of stress' for managing disruptive emotions and psychological distress, will be delivered to female entrepreneurs at their residence, followed by 5-6 phone calls from a trained mental health helper to reinforce the materials over a 6-week period. The intervention is intended to help people manage their psychological distress associated with a range of adversities but is not intended for participants with severe mental health problems such as psychosis or imminent risk of suicide.

    Behavioral: Stress and emotion management

  • No intervention
    Control group

    No intervention. May receive intervention post study if findings are indicative of any benefit.

Interventions

  • BehavioralStress and emotion management

    The handbook materials and lay helper scripts are based on principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and aims to enhance psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility reflects how a person adapts to fluctuating situational demands, reconfigures mental resources, shifts perspective, and balances competing needs. ACT teaches alternative methods to accommodate difficult thoughts and feelings, primarily through mindfulness techniques. At the same time, ACT also focuses on guiding participants to live in ways consistent with their personal values.

    Also known as: Doing what matters in times of Stress, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Mental Distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-6)

    Minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 24. Higher scores indicate high levels of psychological distress (worse outcome)

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

  2. Mental Distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-6)

    Minimum value of 0 and a maximum score of 24. Higher scores indicate high levels of psychological distress (worse outcome)

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

  3. Depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

    Minimum score 0 and a maximum score of 27. Higher scores indicate increased levels of depressive symptoms (worse outcome).

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

  4. Depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

    Minimum score 0 and a maximum score of 27. Higher scores indicate increased levels of depressive symptoms (worse outcome).

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

  5. Stress using the Perceived Stress Scale

    Minimum score of 0 and a maximum of 40. Higher scores indicate high levels of perceived stress (worse outcome). Investigators will reverse code items 4,5, 7 and 8

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

  6. Stress using the Perceived Stress Scale

    Minimum score of 0 and a maximum of 40. Higher scores indicate high levels of perceived stress (worse outcome). Investigators will reverse code items 4,5, 7 and 8

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

  7. Self-reported Business outcomes

    Self-reported past month profits in local currency

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Self-reported Business outcomes

    Self-reported past month profits in local currency

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

  2. Self-reported Business Closure

    Self-reported business closure

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

  3. Self-reported Business Closure

    Self-reported business closure

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

  4. Self-reported number of recent hires

    Average self-reported number of employees hired in the past month

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

  5. Self-reported number of employees

    Average self-reported number of employees

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

  6. Self-Esteem using the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale

    Minimum score 10 and a maximum score of 40. Investigators will reverse code items 3,5,8,9 and 10 . Higher scores indicate high levels of self-esteem (better outcome)

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

  7. Self-Esteem using the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale

    Minimum score 10 and a maximum score of 40. Investigators will reverse code items 3,5,8,9 and 10. Higher scores indicate high levels of self-esteem (better outcome)

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

  8. World Health Organisation- Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5)

    Minimum score of 0 and a maximum of 25. Higher scores mean better wellbeing (better outcome). Scores are transformed to 0-100 (by multiplying by 4.

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

  9. World Health Organisation- Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5)

    Minimum score of 0 and a maximum of 25. Higher scores mean better wellbeing (better outcome). Scores are transformed to 0-100 (by multiplying by 4.

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

  10. Functional Impairment using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS-2.0 -12 item version)

    Minimum score of 12 and a maximum of 60. Higher scores indicate high levels of disability (worse outcome)

    Time frame: 6-9 months post intervention

  11. Functional Impairment using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS-2.0 -12 item version)

    Minimum score of 12 and a maximum of 60. Higher scores indicate high levels of disability (worse outcome)

    Time frame: 4-6 weeks post intervention

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Study locations

1 site
  • PSI and World Bank, Ethiopia
    Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — All unidentified IPD that underlie results in a publication will be shared if doing so is approved by the Institutional Review Board and clears privacy and security requirements set by the World Bank microdata portal.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

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Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Feb 15, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05208723
Lead sponsor
World Bank
Collaborators
Ethiopian Medical Association, Addis Ababa University, PSI Ethiopia
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Jan 26, 2022
Start date
Jul 17, 2021
Primary completion
Dec 31, 2022 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 31, 2023 (estimated)
Last update
Feb 15, 2022

Study contacts

Naira Kalra, PhD
principal investigator · World Bank
Adiam Hailemicheal, MSc
principal investigator · World Bank
Kassahun Habtamu Mekonnen, PhD
principal investigator · Addis Ababa University
Medhin Selamu Tegegn, PhD
principal investigator · College of health science, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is status unknown, as verified in Feb 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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