title: The effectiveness of counseling on anxiety and depression by minimally trained counselors: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess if eight counseling sessions conducted by women minimally trained as community counselors could reduce the mean level of anxiety and/or depression in women of their own community.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  A lower-middle-class, semi-urban community in Karachi, Pakistan.
  
  
  METHODS
  366 anxious and/or depressed women providing informed consent.
  
  
  METHODS
  Through systematic sampling, 1226 women were screened using an indigenous instrument. Out of these, 366 women were found to have anxiety and/or depression and were randomized to intervention and control groups. Women from the same community were trained in 11 sessions as counselors. Subjects in the intervention group were counseled once weekly for eight weeks by the trained community counselors. After the 8th session, the screening questionnaire was re-administered to both the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant reduction was found between the mean anxiety and depression scores of the two groups (p value = 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Counseling by minimally trained community counselors reduced levels of anxiety and/or depression in women of their own community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, P.O. Box 3500, Karachi, Pakistan. badar.ali@aku.edu
authors.forename: Badar Sabir
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Mohammad H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Rahbar
authors.forename: Shifa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naeem
authors.forename: Asma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Sanober
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mubeen
authors.forename: Aliya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iqbal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000628:therapy*; D003376:Counseling / Q000592:standards*; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D011203:Poverty; D011361:Professional Competence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016387:Women's Health