Using Financial Incentives and Screening to Increase Engagement With Mental Health Services Among College Students in Chennai, India

Summary

This study will evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to increase engagement with mental health services among a sample of college students in Chennai, India. The study is being conducted in partnership with an arts and science college for women in Chennai. The sample will be recruited within classrooms, during college hours. All students present in the classroom per the allotted time will be introduced to the study. The research team will obtain consent from those interested after screening them for age eligibility (between the ages of 18 and 30 years). Study participants will then complete a baseline survey including questions around demographics, perceptions of their own mental health, mental health treatment history, and the PHQ-ADS, a standardized composite screening tool for depression and anxiety. The experimental design is an RCT with 4 groups, randomized at the individual level: (1) a control group, which will watch a video with information about mental health and be able to access therapy in college and at SCARF, a mental health center in Chennai, at no cost for the duration of the study; (2) a screening group, in which, in addition to the interventions in the control group, students will be informed whether their responses to the PHQ-ADS questions fit in the standard risk categories of no, mild, moderate, or severe distress and corresponding recommendations for whether to make an appointment with a counselor/therapist; (3) a rewards group, in which, in addition to the interventions in the control group, students will be provided with a cash payment for attending their first therapy session; and (4) a combined screening and rewards group. The investigators will measure interest in, and take-up of, therapy at the individual level.

Conditions

• Depression/Anxiety

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Rewards

Financial rewards for attending therapy

BEHAVIORAL

Screening

Information about screening for depression and anxiety

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Harvard University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of California, Berkeley

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Michigan

  collaborator OTHER

• Institute for Financial Management and Research

  collaborator OTHER

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab

  collaborator OTHER

• Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF India), Chennai, India

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

30 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-01-20

Primary Completion

2025-05-25

Completion

2025-05-25

Countries

• India

Study Locations