title: Building psychosocial assets and wellbeing among adolescent girls: A randomized controlled trial.
abstract: We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a 5-month resilience-based program (Girls First Resilience Curriculum or RC) among 2308 rural adolescent girls at 57 government schools in Bihar, India. Local women with at least a 10th grade education served as group facilitators. Girls receiving RC improved more (vs. controls) on emotional resilience, self-efficacy, social-emotional assets, psychological wellbeing, and social wellbeing. Effects were not detected on depression. There was a small, statistically significant negative effect on anxiety (though not likely clinically significant). Results suggest psychosocial assets and wellbeing can be improved for girls in high-poverty, rural schools through a brief school-day program. To our knowledge, this is one of the largest developing country trials of a resilience-based school-day curriculum for adolescents.
authors.affiliation: CorStone, 250 Camino Alto, Suite 100A, Mill Valley, CA 94941, USA. Electronic address: kates@corstone.org.
authors.forename: Katherine Sachs
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Leventhal
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA, USA. Electronic address: jgillha1@swarthmore.edu.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gillham
authors.affiliation: QURE Healthcare, 1000 Fourth St., Suite 300, San Rafael, CA, USA. Electronic address: ldemaria@qurehealthcare.com.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: DeMaria
authors.affiliation: CorStone India, A 91, Amritpuri, First Floor, Opp. Isckon Temple, East of Kailash, New Delhi 110065, India. Electronic address: gracya@corstone.org.
authors.forename: Gracy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.affiliation: QURE Healthcare, 1000 Fourth St., Suite 300, San Rafael, CA, USA; Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 550 16th St., 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA. Electronic address: jpeabody@qurehealthcare.com.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peabody
authors.affiliation: CorStone, 250 Camino Alto, Suite 100A, Mill Valley, CA 94941, USA. Electronic address: stevel@corstone.org.
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leventhal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012572:School Health Services; D012944:Social Support
keywords: Adolescent girls; India; Psychological wellbeing; Resilience; Self-efficacy; Social wellbeing