Alleviating Loneliness Among Female Migrant Garment Workers in India

Last registered on July 20, 2023
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Alleviating Loneliness Among Female Migrant Garment Workers in India
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0008235
Initial registration date
September 13, 2021

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
September 14, 2021, 4:54 PM EDT

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

Last updated
July 20, 2023, 2:50 PM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
India
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Andelyn Russell
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Heather Schofield
PI Affiliation
University of Pennsylvania
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Achyuta Adhvaryu
PI Affiliation
University of Michigan
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Anant Nyshadham
PI Affiliation
University of Michigan
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Pedro Souza
PI Affiliation
Queen Mary University of London
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Advait Aiyer
PI Affiliation
University of Pennsylvania
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2023-01-28
End date
2025-03-01
Keywords
Gender, Health, Labor, Welfare
Additional Keywords
loneliness, depression, mental health, migration
JEL code(s)
D91, I15, J15, J16, O15
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Migration is central to economic mobility among many of the world’s poor, opening the door to higher wages and human capital accumulation. Yet, rates of migration are much lower than predicted given the substantial wage premium available in urban areas (Roy 1951; Young 2013; Akram et al. 2017; Beegle et al. 2011; Bryan & Morten 2015). Many potential reasons for this puzzle have been examined, but much of the gap remains unexplained (Clemens 2014; Bryan et al. 2014; Munshi & Rosenzweig 2016; Morten 2016). In this project, we aim to increase the economic opportunities of young female migrants in India by addressing an additional growing global concern that may limit migration: loneliness and social isolation.

We implement a low-cost scalable program delivered in garment factories to address loneliness and social isolation and thereby improve both the mental health and economic outcomes of the young female employees. We pair employees that recently migrated to work in those factories ("juniors") with seasoned employees who have been there for at least 6 months ("seniors"). Pairs of junior and senior buddies will be randomly assigned to a control arm (no intervention) or a treatment arm: social support, in which juniors and seniors are asked to meet regularly. During the meetings, the pair is prompted to discuss and perform activities intended to foster a closer emotional bond and a source of emotional comfort in a challenging new environment.

The study will rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions on: a) loneliness and depression, b) social networks, including new links and their mental health, c) labor market outcomes, d) female empowerment, and e) self reported physical health and wellbeing. In measuring the flow of mental health through social networks, we aim to quantify the pathways through which the intervention operates and spillover effects. We plan to enroll 500 pairs (1000 participants) (in the RCT sample and up to 3 contacts per RCT participant (3000 total) in the social network sample.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Adhvaryu, Achyuta et al. 2023. "Alleviating Loneliness Among Female Migrant Garment Workers in India." AEA RCT Registry. July 20. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.8235-1.3
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Treatment - Juniors will be introduced to a senior living in the same hostel and speaking the same language. This senior will meet with the junior for eight weeks and provide social support – The pair will be asked to do weekly activities that provide them with opportunities to form a friendship. They will be guided to discuss both practical topics (which can be very mentally costly when new to an environment -- e.g., where to buy medicine) and questions intended to create a closer bond (e.g. what would be a perfect day for you and why?)
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2023-01-29
Intervention End Date
2025-03-01

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary mental well-being outcome is loneliness, the primary economic outcome is retention at the factory. Additionally, we will measure social network link creation.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
Loneliness will be measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, Version 3. Retention at the factory will be measured using firm administrative records. Participant social network outcomes will be measured using surveys of the participant and some of their contacts. Social network measurement will be assisted using a newly developed tablet-based application, which we will test during piloting activities.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary mental well-being outcomes are depression, self-reported well-being, and an index combining mental health outcomes. Secondary economic outcomes are productivity and attendance. In addition we will create an index based on participants' social networks. We will also measure female empowerment and self-reported physical health.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)
Depression will be measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire. Self reported well-being will be measured using the Gallup life satisfaction survey question. Productivity and attendance will be measured using firm administrative records. Female empowerment and self-reported physical health will be measured using survey questions informed by J-PAL’s “A Practical Guide to Measuring Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment in Impact Evaluations” and the Longitudinal Survey of Aging in India (LASI).

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
RCT participants will be randomized to one of two experimental arms:
Control - Participants in this arm would receive no intervention. Pairs are not introduced by the study.
Treatment - Juniors will be introduced to a senior living in the same hostel and speaking the same language. This senior will meet with the junior for eight weeks and provide social support – The pair will be asked to do weekly activities that provide them with opportunities to form a friendship. They will be guided to discuss both practical topics (which can be very mentally costly when new to an environment -- e.g., where to buy medicine) and questions intended to create a closer bond (e.g. what would be a perfect day for you and why?). On 30 July 2023 we altered the script of the first event that introduces Juniors and Seniors, to better reflect the roles of each of the “buddies”. We also introduced an additional set of fun “get-to-know-you” activities, through which the pair interacted with each other under the guidance of the study staff.

We plan to enroll 500 pairs of juniors and seniors (1000 participants) in the experiment. Juniors and seniors in the treatment and control arms will complete surveys at baseline, weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 (intervention endline), and 3 and 6 months post-intervention. A comprehensive plan to track participants who leave the factory and return to their villages through phone surveys is in place. Up to three baseline contacts of each RCT participant will be enrolled in the social network sample (i.e. up to 3000 participants). Social network participants will complete brief surveys at baseline and endline.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization will be conducted using R.
Randomization Unit
First, junior and senior migrants will be paired randomly, conditional on language and hostel. Pairs are then randomized across experimental arms. As pairs are randomized, analyses will be clustered at the pair level, with the exception of analyses of the junior and senior separately. After baseline, outcomes may be measured once per participant (e.g. retention, mental health of social network contacts, etc) or at multiple points (e.g. loneliness, productivity, attendance, etc). Analyses of outcomes with multiple measurements after baseline will be clustered at the individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
500 pairs
Sample size: planned number of observations
1000 participants
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
250 pairs Control, 250 pairs Treatment
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Pennsylvania Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2019-05-06
IRB Approval Number
832602
IRB Name
Good Business Lab Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2019-05-01
IRB Approval Number
GBL042019
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Loneliness and Migration Pre-Analysis Plan

MD5: 2076672a06cb94f8416dc5c619f2937c

SHA1: b77840543f968d49fbbdab80b3457846b4cccb38

Uploaded At: March 19, 2023

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