Science Advances published an RCT of Working on Womanhood - group counseling for high school girls. Quick take: High-quality RCT finds no discernible effect on clinical depression, anxiety, or PTSD (primary outcomes) at 1 year mark, but suggestive effects on a broader PTSD measure.
Program:
Per the study report: Working on Womanhood (WOW) "is a school-based, trauma-informed, relationship-centered, group counseling and mentoring program designed specifically by and for Black and Latinx women to disrupt the cycle of intergenerational trauma."
Study Design:
The study sample comprised 3,749 girls in 10 Chicago public high schools, randomly assigned to WOW vs control (usual services). 85% were Black or Hispanic; 95% were low income; and nearly 30% had seen someone attacked, stabbed, shot at, hurt badly, or killed in their lifetime.
Findings:
Approximately 1 year after program entry, the study unfortunately found no statistically significant effects on the 3 primary, pre-specified outcomes: rates of clinical anxiety (4% T vs 4% C), clinical depression (7% T vs 9% C), or clinical PTSD (23.5% T vs 27% C).
On the more prevalent, exploratory outcomes of clinical or at-risk anxiety, depression, PTSD (where the study has greater statistical power), it found no significant effect on anxiety (20% T vs 20% C) or depression (19% T vs 22% C), but a significant effect on PTSD (31% T vs 39% C).
Comment:
Based on careful review, this was a high-quality RCT (e.g., excellent baseline balance, low to modest attrition, valid outcome measures, and pre-specified analyses).
Disclosure: Arnold Ventures, my former employer, helped fund this study.
The study abstract unfortunately presents the results as unambiguously positive and doesn't mention (nor does the main report) that the primary hypotheses weren't supported. It highlights exploratory results that are only suggestive (could be due to chance).