A Low-Cost Psychosocial Program Improves the Mental Health and Child Development among Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh
Forced displacement, like the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh, can increase the risk of mental health disorders among affected populations. Women and children are particularly vulnerable, as they are more likely to experience displacement-related trauma, abuse, and discrimination. To find a potential solution to this issue, we partnered with BRAC to run a large-scale cluster-randomized controlled trial in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Our targets were Rohingya mothers and their children under the age of two. Partnering with the BRAC Institute of Educational Development and the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development in Bangladesh, we developed and implemented a simple, low-cost, multifaceted psychosocial program. A year later, we found that this program improved the mental wellbeing of mothers and promoted positive developmental outcomes for their children, including reducing stunting. One of the main channels for these improvements was that mothers with better mental health began spending more time with their children, as the psychological costs associated with time investments were reduced following our intervention.
