MAMAS: Mentoring Adolescent Mothers at School

Plain-language summary

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of an intervention designed to reduce STI/HIV incidence by increasing the number of adolescent mothers who re-enroll and remain in school. The objective of the intervention is to have older mentor mothers, who themselves were pregnant adolescents, to mentor younger adolescent mothers. Mentor mothers will provide ongoing psychosocial support, help navigate re-admission to school, and help facilitate access to an existing State-sponsored cash transfer, the child support grant (CSG), in the early postpartum period. Our combination social protection program will enhance resilience of young adolescent mothers to facilitate their return to school and thereby reduce HIV risk. The investigators will evaluate the efficacy of the intervention using a pre-test post-test randomized controlled trial design. Participants in the intervention will receive the Mentoring Adolescent Mothers At School (MAMAS) intervention and standard postpartum care. Those in the control arm will receive standard postpartum care. Additionally, for those participants randomized to the intervention arm, mentor mothers will use participatory visual methods (e.g., photovoice, cell-films, drawings) as part of the intervention itself. Last, among those participants randomized to the intervention arm and who return for their 9-month assessment, the investigators will conduct 20 in-depth interviews to understand the process of resilience development from their perspective. Primary outcomes: School outcomes (initial outcomes) HYP 1.1: Program participation will increase school enrollment HYP 1.2: Program participation will increase school engagement HIV risk outcomes (intermediate outcomes) HYP 2.1: Program participation will reduce number of sexual partners HYP 2.2: Program participation will reduce inconsistent condom use HYP 2.3: Program participation will reduce intimate partner violence HYP 2.4: Program participation will decrease HIV/STI infection HYP 2.5 (for HIV+): Program participation will increase retention in care Secondary outcomes: HYP 5: Program participation will increase peer support HYP 6: Program participation will increase familial support HYP 7: Program participation will increase school re-admission HYP 8: Program participation will increase application to the child support grant HYP 9: Program participation will increase receipt of the child support grant

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Trial details