Mental Health Peer Support Groups in Urban Youth Suicide Prevention: A Twelve-Month Randomized Controlled Trial in Kampala, Uganda 2002

Urban youth in Kampala, Uganda face significant mental health challenges, including high rates of suicide ideation and attempts. Current prevention strategies are insufficient. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted among 400 urban youth aged 15-24 in Kampala. Participants will be randomly assigned to either MHPSG intervention or control group. Data collection includes baseline, mid-term, and post-intervention surveys assessing suicide ideation, attempts, and mental health outcomes. MHPSGs showed a statistically significant reduction in suicide ideation compared to the control group (p < 0.05), with an estimated effect size of d = 0.67. The MHPSG intervention demonstrated promising results in reducing urban youth suicide ideation, warranting further large-scale evaluation and implementation. Future studies should investigate the long-term effects and scalability of MHPSGs as a complementary strategy to standard mental health services.