Economic vulnerabilities, mental health, and coping strategies among Tanzanian youth during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated struggles for youth living in poor households. Youth in rural Tanzania are particularly vulnerable given widespread poverty, lack of formal sector employment opportunities, and health risks. We examine influences of the pandemic on economic insecurity and mental health and explore the coping strategies employed by youth and their households. METHODS: We conducted mixed-method data collection with youth (N = 760 quantitative and N = 44 qualitative interviews) and households (n = 542) via mobile phone among a sub-set of a cohort from an on-going longitudinal sample in two rural regions in Tanzania. In addition to phone interviews, we collected data bi-weekly via SMS messaging. We present mixed-methods, descriptive analysis of the outcomes and longitudinally compare quantitative outcomes pre- and post-COVID-19, within the same individuals. RESULTS: Adverse economic impacts were most salient, and to cope, youth engaged in more labor and domestic chores. Compared to prior the COVID-19 pandemic, youth reported spending more time caring for elderly or sick household members and gathering firewood or nuts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the potential opportunity to promote policies and programs which address risks youth face. Recommended measures include expansion and adaptation of social protection policies, strengthened food and nutrition surveillance and referral systems, and scaling up community-based mental health programming.

Climate distress, climate-sensitive risk factors, and mental health among Tanzanian youth: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Climate change threatens youth mental health through multiple mechanisms, yet empirical studies typically focus on single pathways. We explored feelings of distress over climate change among Tanzanian youth, considering associations with climate change awareness and climate-sensitive risk factors, and assessed how these factors relate to mental health. METHODS: Tanzanian youth (aged 18-23 years) from a cluster randomised controlled trial in Mbeya and Iringa regions of Tanzania were interviewed between Jan 25, and March 3, 2021, and included in this cross-sectional study. A threshold of at least 10 on the ten-item Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was used to classify symptom severity indicative of depression. Regardless of climate change awareness, respondents were asked about their feelings of distress on climate change using inclusive language (changing weather patterns or changing seasons). We estimated rate differences in climate change distress (slight or moderate or extreme vs none) by youth characteristics, extent of climate awareness, and climate-sensitive livelihoods (eg, agriculture, tending livestock) and climate-sensitive living conditions (eg, food or water insecurity), using generalised linear models. We compared depression prevalence by extent of climate change distress and climate-sensitive living conditions. FINDINGS: Among 2053 youth (1123 [55%] were male and 930 [45%] were female) included in this analysis, 946 (46%) had reported any distress about climate change. Distress was higher among female, more educated, more religious, older youth, and those working in extreme temperatures. Adjusting for climate awareness-a factor strongly associated with climate distress-helped to explain some of these associations. Depression was 23 percentage points (95% CI 17-28) higher among youth who had severe water insecurity than those who did not. Similarly, youth who had severe food insecurity had 23 percentage points higher depression (95% CI 17-28) compared with those who did not. Those reporting climate change distress also had worse mental health-extremely distressed youth had 18 percentage points (95% CI 6-30) higher depression than those reporting none. INTERPRETATION: Living in conditions worsened by climate change and feeling distressed over climate change have mental health implications among young people from low-resource settings, indicating that climate change can impact youth mental health through multiple pathways. FUNDING: Erasmus Trustfonds, Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research, UK's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, Oak Foundation, UNICEF, UK's Department of International Development, the Swedish Development Cooperation Agency, Irish Aid.

Impacts of cash transfer and "cash plus" programs on self- perceived stress in Africa: Evidence from Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania.

Poverty and poor mental health are closely linked. Cash transfers have significantly expanded globally. Given their objectives around poverty reduction and improving food security, a major chronic stressor in Africa, cash transfers may affect mental health outcomes. We examine impacts of three large-scale government cash transfer or cash plus programs in Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania on self-perceived stress using an innovative, newly adapted measure for rural African settings. Linear regression models were used to estimate treatment impacts. We find that cash transfers reduced self-perceived stress in Malawi, but programs in Ghana and Tanzania had no impacts on self-perceived stress. These mixed findings, combined with recent reviews on cash transfers and mental health, suggest that cash transfers may play a role in improving mental health. However, cash alone may not be sufficient to overcome many challenges related to poverty, and complementary programming may also be needed to improve mental health.

Effects of Adolescent-Focused Integrated Social Protection on Depression: A Pragmatic Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of Tanzania's Cash Plus Intervention.

We assessed the impacts of Tanzania's adolescent-focused Cash Plus intervention on depression. In this pragmatic cluster-randomized controlled trial, 130 villages were randomly allocated to an intervention or control arm (1:1). Youth aged 14-19 years living in households receiving governmental cash transfers were invited to participate. The intervention included an intensive period (a 12-session course) and an aftercare period (9 months of mentoring, productive grants, and strengthened health services). We examined intervention impacts on a depressive symptoms scale (10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score (range, 0-30)) and rates of depressive symptomatology (score ≥10 points on the scale), recorded at study baseline (April-June 2017), midline (May-July 2018), and endline (June-August 2019). Using intention-to-treat methodology, we employed logistic and generalized linear models to estimate effects for binary and continuous outcomes, respectively. Quantile regression was used to estimate effects across the scale. From 2,458 baseline participants, 941 intervention and 992 control adolescents were reinterviewed at both follow-ups. At endline, the intervention reduced the odds of depressive symptomatology (adjusted odds ratio = 0.67, 95% confidence interval: 0.52, 0.86), with an undetectable mean scale difference (risk difference = -0.36, 95% confidence interval: -0.84, 0.11). Quantile regression results demonstrated an intervention effect along the upper distribution of the scale. Integration of multisectoral initiatives within existing social protection systems shows potential to improve mental health among youth in low-resource settings.

The impact of unconditional cash transfers on morbidity and health-seeking behaviour in Africa: evidence from Ghana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Unconditional cash transfers have demonstrated widespread, positive impacts on consumption, food security, productive activities and schooling. However, the evidence to date on cash transfers and health-seeking behaviours and morbidity is not only mixed, but the evidence base is biased towards conditional programmes from Latin America and is more limited in the context of Africa. Given contextual and programmatic design differences between the regions, more evidence from Africa is warranted. We investigate the impact of unconditional cash transfers on morbidity and health-seeking behaviour using data from experimental and quasi-experimental study designs of five government cash transfer programs in Ghana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Programme impacts were estimated using difference-in-differences models with longitudinal data. The results indicate positive programme impacts on health seeking when ill and on health expenditures. Our findings suggest that while unconditional cash transfers can improve health seeking when ill, morbidity impacts were mixed. More research is needed on longer-term impacts, mechanisms of impact and moderating factors. Additionally, taken together with existing evidence, our findings suggest that when summarizing the impacts of cash transfers on health, findings from conditional and unconditional programmes should be disaggregated.

Effects of Government-Implemented Cash Plus Model on Violence Experiences and Perpetration Among Adolescents in Tanzania, 2018‒2019.

Objectives. To examine the impacts of a government-implemented cash plus program on violence experiences and perpetration among Tanzanian adolescents. Methods. We used data from a cluster randomized controlled trial (n = 130 communities) conducted in the Mbeya and Iringa regions of Tanzania to isolate impacts of the "plus" components of the cash plus intervention. The panel sample comprised 904 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years living in households receiving a government cash transfer. We estimated intent-to-treat impacts on violence experiences, violence perpetration, and pathways of impact. Results. The plus intervention reduced female participants' experiences of sexual violence by 5 percentage points and male participants' perpetration of physical violence by 6 percentage points. There were no intervention impacts on emotional violence, physical violence, or help seeking. Examining pathways, we found positive impacts on self-esteem and participation in livestock tending and, among female participants, a positive impact on sexual debut delays and a negative effect on school attendance. Conclusions. By addressing poverty and multidimensional vulnerability, integrated social protection can reduce violence. Public Health Implications. There is high potential for scale-up and sustainability, and this program reaches some of the most vulnerable and marginalized adolescents. (Am J Public Health. 2021;111(12):2227-2238. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306509).

Do Conditional Cash Transfers Improve Mental Health? Evidence From Tanzania's Governmental Social Protection Program.

PURPOSE: Cash transfer interventions broadly improve the lives of the vulnerable, making them exceedingly popular. However, evidence of impacts on mental health is limited, particularly for conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs. We examined the impacts of Tanzania's government-run CCT program on depressive symptoms of youth aged 14-28. METHODS: We utilized cluster randomized controlled trial data of 84 communities (48 intervention; 36 control). The intervention administered bimonthly CCTs to eligible households, while control communities were assigned to delayed intervention. The analysis included youth with measurements of depression (10-item Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) at baseline and 18 months later. We determined impacts using analysis of covariance models, adjusting for youth characteristics (including baseline depression), district-level fixed effects, and community-level random effects. Differential effects by sex and baseline social support were also estimated. RESULTS: Although no evidence was found to suggest that the intervention impacted depressive symptoms among the full sample (n = 880) (effect -.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] -.88 to .48, p = .562), subsample results indicated that depressive symptoms were reduced 1.5 points among males (95% CI -2.56 to -.04, p = .007) and increased 1.1 points among females (95% CI .11-2.09, p = .029). Females 18+ years old (effect 1.55, 95% CI .27-2.83, p = .018) and females with children (effect 1.32, 95% CI -.13 to 2.78, p = .074) drove this negative impact. Social support did not moderate impacts. CONCLUSIONS: Despite no overall intervention effects, results suggest that receiving a CCT has differential effects on mental health by sex. Although males benefited from the intervention, conditions which rely on stereotypically female roles may result in negative consequences among women.

Exploring multilevel social determinants of depressive symptoms for Tanzanian adolescents: evidence from a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Depression has substantial and enduring impacts for adolescents, particularly those living in poverty. Yet, evidence on its determinants in low-income countries remains scarce. We examined the social determinants of depressive symptoms for Tanzanian adolescents. METHODS: We used cross-sectional data for 2458 adolescents (aged 14-19), to describe associations with depressive symptoms within and across five domains-demographic, economic, neighbourhood, environmental and social-cultural-using linear mixed models. We estimated depressive symptoms using the 10-item Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, which ranges from 0 to 30 and increases with additional symptoms. RESULTS: Factors associated with depressive symptoms in the fully adjusted models included experiencing five or more household economic shocks (ß=2.40; 95% CI 1.48 to 3.32), experiencing droughts/floods (ß=0.76; 95% CI 0.36 to 1.17), being in a relationship (ß=1.82; 95% CI 1.30 to 2.33), and having moderate (ß=1.26; 95% CI 0.80 to 1.71) or low (ß=2.27; 95% CI 1.81 to 2.74) social support. Exclusive schooling was protective compared with being engaged in both school and paid work (ß=1.07; 95% CI 0.05 to 2.61) and not engaged in either (ß=0.73; 95% CI 0.24 to 1.22). Household size and relationship status were more important factors for girls, while employment status, and extreme precipitation were more important for boys. CONCLUSION: Mental health is associated with determinants from multiple domains. Results suggest that environmental shocks related to climate change contribute to poor mental health in adolescents, highlighting an important area for intervention and research.

Impacts of a Cash Plus Intervention on Gender Attitudes Among Tanzanian Adolescents.

PURPOSE: Inequitable attitudes toward men's and women's roles, rights, and responsibilities are associated with poor health-related outcomes, particularly for girls and women. Yet, we know relatively little about what interventions work to improve gender-equitable attitudes among adolescents in low-income countries. This study examines the impact of a government-implemented "cash plus" intervention on gender-equitable attitudes among adolescents in Tanzania. The intervention includes discussions and activities related to gender norms, embedded in broader life skills, livelihoods, and health training. METHODS: The study utilizes a cluster randomized design, using data from 1,933 males and females aged 14-19 years at baseline who took part in the baseline (2017), midline (2018), and endline (2019) surveys. Gender attitudes were measured using 24 items from the Gender-Equitable Men (GEM) Scale. We estimate intent-to-treat impacts on the GEM scale and four subscales (violence, sexual relationships, reproductive health, and domestic chores). RESULTS: The "cash plus" intervention had a significant impact on the overall GEM scale at midline. The intervention increased gender-equitable attitudes on the domestic chores subscale at both midline and endline. The intervention improved gender-equitable attitudes among males on the overall GEM scale and three subscales at midline and on two subscales at endline, but it had no impacts among females. CONCLUSIONS: Gender transformative social protection is currently being advocated as a way to address the gendered nature of poverty and its consequences. Initiatives such as the one studied here, which address the multifaceted drivers of gender inequities, could be a promising way forward.

Perspectives of adolescent and young adults on poverty-related stressors: a qualitative study in Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania.

OBJECTIVES: To define key stressors experienced and coping behaviours within poor agrarian communities in sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN: Descriptive qualitative study incorporating inductive thematic analysis. PARTICIPANTS: 81 participants purposely sampled, stratified by age (adolescents and young adults) and sex SETTING: The study was conducted in villages in Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania. RESULTS: Stressors were thematically grouped into those directly related to poverty and the lack of basic necessities (eg, food insecurity), and additional stressors (eg, drought) that worsen poverty-related stress. Impacts on functioning, health and well-being and key coping behaviours, both positive and negative, were identified. The findings together inform a more nuanced view of stress within these contexts. CONCLUSION: Although participants were asked to provide general reflections about stress in their community, the salience of poverty-related stressors was ubiquitously reflected in respondents' responses. Poverty-related stressors affect development, well-being and gender-based violence. Future research should focus on interventions to alleviate poverty-related stress to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Examination of performance of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Short Form 10 among African youth in poor, rural households.

BACKGROUND: Youth mental health has emerged as a pressing global issue. However, to advance research gaps in low-income settings, we need valid measures of common mental health disorders. Using primary data collected in five countries (Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), this study aims to assess the psychometric properties of the commonly used 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D 10) scale among poor, disadvantaged youth populations in sub-Saharan African (SSA). METHODS: Youth samples from each country (sample sizes ranging from 651 to 2098) come from large household surveys with youth modules, collected for impact evaluations of cash transfer programs targeted to poor families. For each sample, we assessed internal consistency (alpha), conducted factor analysis, and then examined construct validity and measurement invariance. We performed both exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine and confirm the structure of the CES-D 10 for each country and then used multigroup CFA to assess measurement invariance across gender and age. Multivariate analyses were conducted to assess construct validity via test of the relationship between CES-D 10 and background characteristics. RESULTS: Results show the CES-D 10 had strong psychometric properties and was a reliable measure of depressive symptoms among disadvantaged youth in SSA. Across countries, there was high internal consistency (Cronbach alphas = 0.70-0.76) and the traditional two-factor solution showed good model fit. Full measurement invariance of the CES-D 10 was supported across gender. Consistent with previous literature on risk factors for depressive symptoms, the CES-D 10 was associated with increasing age, and female gender and being out of school in some locations. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study support broad use of the CES-D 10 among poor youth populations in SSA. Between one-third and two-thirds of our samples demonstrated depressive symptoms as classified by recommended cut-offs for the CES-D 10, indicating a high burden of mental illness in disadvantaged youth populations. This tool can be used in future efforts to study prevalence and dynamics of depressive symptoms in this population, as well as effectiveness of policies and interventions to improve the mental health of youth in SSA.

Unconditional Government Social Cash Transfer in Africa Does not Increase Fertility.

Among policymakers, a common perception surrounding the effects of cash transfer programmes, particularly unconditional programmes targeted to households with children, is that they induce increased fertility. We evaluate the Zambian Child Grant Programme, a government unconditional cash transfer targeted to households with a child under the age of five and examine impacts on fertility and household composition. The evaluation was a cluster randomized control trial, with data collected over four years from 2010 to 2014. Our results indicate there are no programme impacts on overall fertility. Our results contribute to a small evidence base demonstrating that there are no unintended incentives related to fertility due to cash transfers.