African Gene Therapy | 17 August 2006
Meta-Analysis of School-Based Mental Health Interventions for Anxiety and Depression Among Urban Youth in Nairobi, Kenya
K, i, p, r, u, t, o, C, h, e, r, o, n, o, ,, O, c, h, i, e, n, g, K, e, t, e, r, ,, W, a, m, b, u, g, u, M, u, c, h, i, r, i, ,, M, w, a, n, g, i, N, y, a, g, a
Abstract
Anxiety and depression are prevalent among urban youth in Nairobi, Kenya, with school-based interventions offering a potential solution. A comprehensive search strategy was employed to identify relevant studies. Studies were assessed using predefined inclusion criteria, and data on intervention types, participant characteristics, and outcomes were extracted and analysed using a random-effects meta-analysis model with robust standard errors. The analysis included 24 studies covering 15,000 urban youth aged 8 to 18. The pooled effect size for anxiety interventions was -0.73 (95% CI: -0.95 to -0.51), indicating a significant reduction in symptoms. School-based mental health interventions show promise in reducing anxiety and depression among urban youth in Nairobi, with moderate-to-large effects observed across various intervention types. Future research should focus on replicating findings across different contexts and exploring long-term outcomes to inform policy and practice. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p<em>i)=\beta</em>0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.