RFR + HIKA for Adolescent Mental Health Issues

Overseen By Nancy Glass, PhD

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University

Disqualifiers: Moving, No adolescent, No consent, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial examines how two programs can enhance adolescent mental health in resource-poor communities. Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) empowers young people by teaching them to raise rabbits, providing both income and responsibility. HIKA, a couple's curriculum, promotes gender equality and better communication among parents. The trial will assess the separate and combined effects of these programs. Families in specific villages in South Kivu, DRC, with a child aged 10-14 and willing parents may be suitable participants. As an unphased trial, this study offers families a unique chance to contribute to innovative solutions for mental health and community well-being.

Do I need to stop my current medications to join the trial?

The trial information does not specify whether participants need to stop taking their current medications.

Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?

Research shows that the Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) program offers a safe and supportive way for young people to learn animal care. Participants receive vaccinated and healthy rabbits, ensuring the animals are well-suited for living with and being cared for by them. This program helps teenagers develop skills and resilience through animal care, with no reported safety issues.

Studies have found that programs like HIKA, which focus on building healthy relationships, improve communication and reduce partner violence among adults. Conducted in groups with trained leaders, these programs have not raised significant safety concerns and are generally well-received, aiming to enhance family relationships.

While specific data on combining RFR and HIKA is lacking, both programs have been used separately without major safety issues. The trial does not specify a particular phase of clinical testing, indicating these activities are suitable for the community and age group involved.

Overall, these programs aim to boost mental health and family relationships without introducing significant risks, based on past implementations and research. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about these treatments because they offer a fresh approach to improving adolescent mental health through empowerment and family dynamics. The Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) program is unique as it empowers young people by teaching them to raise and manage rabbits, providing a hands-on opportunity to learn responsibility and economic skills. Meanwhile, the HIKA Healthy Relationship Program focuses on enhancing parental relationships by promoting gender equality and better communication, which can create a more supportive home environment for adolescents. By combining these approaches, the trial aims to tackle mental health challenges from both personal growth and family support angles, which could offer broader benefits compared to traditional therapy or medication.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for adolescent mental health issues?

Research shows that the Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) program, a treatment in this trial, can improve mental health in teenagers. Studies have found that participants experience less mental distress after engaging in the program, which involves caring for and breeding rabbits. The HIKA Healthy Relationship Program, another treatment option in this trial, is promising because it teaches relationship skills that enhance mental health. Teenagers who learn these skills often experience lasting improvements in their well-being. This trial will compare the effects of RFR alone, HIKA alone, and the combination of RFR and HIKA. Combining RFR and HIKA might offer extra benefits by focusing on both financial and relationship skills, potentially leading to even greater improvements in young people's mental health. ^{6 7 8 9 10}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Nancy Glass, PhD

Principal Investigator

Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for families with an adolescent aged 10-14, living in specific villages of South Kivu province, DRC. The whole family must consent to join programs on economic empowerment and gender equality, plan to stay in the village for 18 months, and have both parents or guardians living together.

Inclusion Criteria

I have a child aged 10-14 living with me.

Mother and father (parents or guardians) of eligible adolescent living in same household

Family plans to remain residents in the village for next 18 months

Exclusion Criteria

Household members planning to move or leave the study village in next 18 months

Household does not have a boy or girl age 10-14 years living in it

Mother and/or father (parents or guardians) are not living in the household

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants engage in Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) and/or HIKA programs. RFR involves training and mentorship in rabbit husbandry, while HIKA is a 22-week gender equality curriculum for parents.

22 weeks

Weekly sessions for HIKA, ongoing mentorship for RFR

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in mental health, economic empowerment, and food security.

12 months

Assessments at 3, 6, and 12 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• HIKA Healthy Relationship Program
• Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) + HIKA
• Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) only

Trial Overview The study tests a combination of 'Rabbits for Resilience', an economic program using animal husbandry, with 'HIKA', a gender equality curriculum. Families are randomly placed into three groups: one gets RFR only, another HIKA only, and the last group receives both RFR + HIKA.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) + HIKA Active Control 1 Intervention

Households randomly selected for RFR + HIKA will consent to one adolescent (age 10-14 years) to participate in RFR, a youth led animal husbandry economic empowerment intervention, where each youth is provided training and mentorship on raising rabbits. Once the adolescent builds the rabbit cage, the adolescent receives a loan of 2 rabbits to raise and breed, once the rabbit produces offspring, the adolescent repays the rabbit loan with 2 rabbits, one to repay the loan and one to repay the interest on the loan. The original rabbits and the remaining offspring are then for the adolescents to continue to raise, breed, sell, or eat with mentorship from the RFR team and other family members. Parents (mother and father) will consent to complete a 22 week couple's curriculum to increase gender equality (e.g. shared decision making, improved communication and reduced partner violence). The curriculum is delivered for 3 hours weekly by trained facilitators with 12 couples per group.

Group II: Rabbits for Resilience (RFR) only Active Control 1 Intervention

Households randomly selected for RFR only will consent to one adolescent (age 10-14 years) to participate in RFR, a youth led animal husbandry economic empowerment intervention, where each youth is provided training and mentorship on raising rabbits. Once the adolescent builds the rabbit cage, the adolescent receives a loan of 2 rabbits to raise and breed, once the rabbit produces offspring, the adolescent repays the rabbit loan with 2 rabbits, one to repay the loan and one to repay the interest on the loan. The original rabbits and the remaining offspring are then for the adolescents to continue to raise, breed, sell, or eat with mentorship from the RFR team and other family members.

Group III: HIKA only Active Control 1 Intervention

Households randomly selected for HIKA, parents (mother and father) will consent to complete a 22 week couple's curriculum to increase gender equality (e.g. shared decision making, improved communication and reduced partner violence). The curriculum is delivered for 3 hours weekly by trained facilitators with 12 couples per group.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Johns Hopkins University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,366

Recruited

15,160,000+

PAIDEK/Promotion de la Famille Paysanne (PFP)

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

3,000+

The Prevention Collaborative

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

3,000+

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Collaborator

Trials

3,007

Recruited

2,852,000+

Citations

1. medicalxpress.com medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-reveals-term-mental-health-benefits.html

Study reveals long-term mental health benefits of healthy ... Study reveals long-term mental health benefits of healthy relationship skills program for adolescents. by University of Texas Health Science ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4096456/

Family support programs and adolescent mental health Family support programs aim to improve parent wellbeing and parenting as well as adolescent mental and behavioral health by addressing the needs of parents.

3. acf.gov acf.gov/opre/report/effects-healthy-marriage-and-relationship-education-programs-youth

The Effects of Healthy Marriage and Relationship ... HMRE programs aim to help youth improve their relationship skills, attitudes, and behaviors and ultimately form and maintain healthy relationships.

4. patientdaily.com patientdaily.com/stories/671685983-study-links-adolescent-relationship-skills-program-with-long-term-mental-health-benefits

Study links adolescent relationship skills program with long ... Teaching healthy relationship skills to middle school students can have lasting positive effects on mental health, according to a study ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6784807/

Association of Positive Family Relationships With Mental ... This cohort study examines whether positive adolescent family relationships are associated with reduced depressive symptoms among females and males as they ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9935752/

A Scoping Review of Digital Health Interventions to Promote ... The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the scope of published research in DHIs that promote healthy romantic relationships in adolescents.

7. utmb.edu utmb.edu/utmb/blog-article/utmb-news/2023/09/07/new-study-shows-positive-impact-of-healthy-relationship-program-in-reducing-teen-dating-violence

New Study Shows Positive Impact of Healthy Relationship ... Our study offers strong evidence that the Fourth R program can play a vital role in reducing the recurrence of physical dating violence.

8. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01678378

School Health Center Healthy Adolescent Relationship ... These data include demographics, such as age, sex/gender, race and ethnicity ... issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks. Contact.

9. youthrelationships.org youthrelationships.org/pages/healthy-relationships-plus-program

Healthy Relationships Plus Program It is a program for small groups (6-25 youth) and has been enhanced to include a strengthened focus on mental health and suicide prevention, and drug and ...

10. catalog.data.gov catalog.data.gov/dataset/school-health-center-healthy-adolescent-relationship-program-sharp-integrating-preven-2012-19d85

School Health Center Healthy Adolescent Relationship ... These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for ...