BANGLADESH

Scientific Evaluation of the Psychosocial Impacts of Baby Friendly Spaces in Low-Resource Humanitarian Settings

PROJECT
OVERVIEW

Recognizing the role of maternal mental health in child development, Baby Friendly Spaces (BFS) is a holistic, evidenced-based psychosocial support program implemented as a part of child malnutrition prevention. Services aim to enhance mothers’ wellbeing, internal resources, and child care skills to mitigate the negative impact of humanitarian crisis on children.

Lead Implementation Partner: Action Contre La Faim/Action Against Hunger
Lead Research Partner: University of Virginia, Johns Hopkins University Population: Displaced Rohingya mothers and their young children in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Study Design

Cluster randomized controlled trial

Participants

Refugee mothers and their acute malnourished infants and young children (<2 years of age)

Setting

Refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh
ABOUT THE INTERVENTION

Problem: Symptoms of depression during pregnancy or following childbirth are very common worldwide. During humanitarian emergencies, threats to child health and development are compounded by environmental stressors, such as poverty and exposure to violence, that place children at high risk for cognitive delays, mental health problems, physical illness, and malnutrition. Caregivers of young children also experience heightened risk of poor mental and physical health that may decrease their ability to buffer the impacts of environmental stressors on their children.

Question: This study evaluated Baby Friendly Spaces’ (BFS) effectiveness for improving conflict-affected mothers’ psychosocial well-being and supporting child development and growth among Rohingya mothers and children living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Design & Methods: ACF developed the BFS program, which consisted of three individual counselling sessions, as well as five individual or group psychosocial stimulation sessions. The study utilized a mixed methods approach. Effectiveness was evaluated with quantitative outcome measures for distress, functioning, subjective well-being, and positive coping.  Both qualitative and quantitative measures were used to evaluate implementation of the intervention.

PUBLICATIONS and Products

Most Significant Change Workshop Report

Study Brief: Being a Rohingya Mother with a Malnourished Child Living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Study Brief: Conducting Interviews with Rohingya Refugee Mothers Living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Measuring the psychosocial wellbeing of Rohingya mothers in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: Psychometric properties of an MHPSS assessment battery

Assessing the effectiveness and observing fidelity of a psychosocial support program for Rohingya refugee mothers and their children in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Formative and Supportive Supervision: Brief Note for ACF MHPSS Team

STUDY COLLABORATORS

Sarah Murray, PhD
Assistant Professor
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Karine Le Roch, PhD
MHPSS Research Project Advisor
Action contre la Faim

Kh. Shafiur Rahaman, MPH
Research Project Manager
Action contre la Faim

Amanda Nguyen, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of  Virginia School of Education and Human Development

Laetitia Clouin
MHPSS Regional Technical Advisor for Asia
Action contre la Faim

Matthew Schojan
Research Association
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Molly Lasater, PhD
Associate
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Anvita Bhardwaj, MSPH
Research Assistant
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Catherine Lee, PhD
Associate
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

Brigitte Tonon, MPH
Nutrition and Health Regional Technical Advisor for Asia
Action contre la Faim