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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Medical Research Council, South Africa | OTHER |
| University College, London | OTHER |
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The goal of this randomised controlled clinical trial is to test the Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Plus (SSCF+) intervention, in young (18-25 years) people living in urban informal settlements in Durban and rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Participants will be randomised (1:1) to compare SSCF+ and a control arm to see if there are differences between the two on intimate partner violence.
Intimate partner violence is very common in South Africa, particularly urban informal settlements. We have co-developed an intervention, called Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Plus (SSCF+), which will be evaluated in women and men aged 18-25 years living in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
This is a pilot randomised controlled trial and as such there is focus on understanding whether the intervention is acceptable (to participants), feasible to deliver, and the potential effect sizes we may see in a full trial.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSCF+ | Experimental | Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Plus (SSCF+). Small group intervention, comprising approximately 15 sessions (each session ~3 hours), addressing gender, livelihoods, mental health. |
|
| Control | No Intervention | No intervention control (wait-list) |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Plus (SSCF+) | Behavioral | Group-based intervention delivered to small friendship networks, by a facilitator. |
|
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Intimate Partner Violence | Past 6 month experience (women) and perpetration (men) of physical IPV as assessed using WHO measure of IPV (5 items, binary) | 6 months |
| Sexual Intimate Partner Violence | Past 6 month experience (women) and perpetration (men) of sexual IPV as assessed using WHO measure of IPV (3 items) | 6 months |
| Severe Intimate partner violence | Past 6 month experience (women) and perpetration (men) of severe IPV as assessed using WHO IPV scale (8 items, coded into a binary) | 6 months |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Depressive symptoms | Mean score of depressive symptoms as assessed by the Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale (CESD) comprising 20 items | 6 months |
| Post-traumatic-stress symptoms | Post traumatic stress symptoms experienced in past week (mean) as assessed through the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (16 items) |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel Jewkes | Medical Research Council, South Africa | Principal Investigator |
| Andrew Gibbs | University of Exeter | Principal Investigator |
| Jenevieve Mannell | University College, London | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South African Medical Research Council | Durban | South Africa |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40267104 | Derived | Gibbs A, Washington L, Mkhwanazi S, Chirwa E, Khaula S, Shai NJ, Willan S, Batura N, Burgess R, Mnandi N, Simelane N, Jewkes R, Mannell J. Stepping Stones and Creating Futures Plus: A pilot randomised controlled trial of a co-developed intervention with young South Africans. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Apr 23;5(4):e0004494. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004494. eCollection 2025. |
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Anonymised data will be shared within 12 months of study completion on University of Exeter and South African Medical Research Council data repository.
12 months from completion of study
Freely available
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| Type | Date | Date Unknown |
|---|---|---|
| Release | Apr 24, 2025 | |
| Reset | May 9, 2025 | |
| Release | Jun 9, 2026 | |
| Reset | Jul 6, 2026 |
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| Release Date | Unrelease Date | Unrelease Date Unknown | Reset Date | MCP Release Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 24, 2025 | May 9, 2025 | |||
| Jun 9, 2026 |
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| 6 months |
| Emotional Dysregulation | Assessed via the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS) short form, 16 items. Mean score. | 6 months |
| Earnings | Self-reported past month earnings (South African Rand) | 6 months |
| Savings | Self-report past month savings (South African Rand) | 6 months |
| Hunger | Past month food insecurity assessed through the 3 items of the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) | 6 months |
| Livelihood Activities | Frequency of livelihood strengthening activities in the past 3 months, assessed through seven items | 6 months |
| Work stress | Experience of stress because of lack of work and money assessed through 4 items | 6 months |
| Work shame | Experience of shame because of lack of work and money assessed through 4 items | 6 months |
| Capabilities | Experience of capabilities assessed through 5 items of a modified ICECAP scale | 6 months |
| Jul 6, 2026 |