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Manager Communication Style, Worker Stress and Productivity in Bangladeshi Garment Factories

Last registered on May 31, 2016
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Well-being, productivity and economic prospects of urban female workers in Bangladesh
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0001140
Initial registration date
May 31, 2016

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
May 31, 2016, 1:07 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Bangladesh
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Paula Lopez-Pena
Affiliation
Queen's University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Kamruzzaman Mozumder
PI Affiliation
University of Dhaka
PI Name
Christopher Woodruff
PI Affiliation
University of Warwick
PI Name
Atonu Rabbani
PI Affiliation
University of Dhaka

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2016-04-01
End date
2017-05-31
Keywords
Health, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
Urban environments are particularly stressful for employed women. The limited availability of support services and the behavioral prescription that women should care for their families in addition to be income-earners place a high burden on them. Research has shown that stress may affect worker productivity, thereby hindering the accumulation of other forms of human capital. This project aims to evaluate the relationship between psychological stress and productivity, attendance, and turnover among female garment workers in urban Bangladesh. We assess the effectiveness of teaching coping skills using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) by scaling up an on-going pilot study. We also compare the impact of CBT with that of offering childcare services. We assess well-being by measuring the stress hormone cortisol and symptoms of anxiety and depression. We also measure on-the-job productivity, income, absenteeism and hours of work.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Lopez-Pena, Paula et al. 2016. "Well-being, productivity and economic prospects of urban female workers in Bangladesh ." AEA RCT Registry. May 31. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.1140-1.0
Former Citation
Lopez-Pena, Paula et al. 2016. "Well-being, productivity and economic prospects of urban female workers in Bangladesh ." AEA RCT Registry. May 31. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1140/history/8496
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Each worker will receive either 10 sessions of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (1 hour per week for 10 weeks) or the same amount of a placebo intervention. CBT is one of the most extensively researched forms of psychotherapy and is currently considered the gold standard for treating anxiety disorders, stress and depression (Farrand and Woodford, 2013; Hofmann and Smits 2008, Butler at al., 2006). CBT is intended to build life skills by modifying thinking and behavioral patterns that maintain worrying and stress. It teaches individuals adequate coping strategies through standardized cognitive exercises (handouts and worksheets) and behavioral exercises (e.g. muscular relaxation, mindfulness meditation, etc.).

Intervention Start Date
2016-05-15
Intervention End Date
2017-04-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, cortisol levels, physical health, productivity, absenteeism, turnover, hours of work and income
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Workers will be randomly allocated to either 10 sessions of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (1 hour per week for 10 weeks) or the same amount of a placebo intervention.

Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in computer
Randomization Unit
Individual workers
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
No clusters
Sample size: planned number of observations
900 individual workers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
450 workers CBT, 450 workers placebo
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
INNOVATIONS FOR POVERTY ACTION IRB – USA
IRB Approval Date
2016-05-12
IRB Approval Number
10197
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials