Ignite Creation Date:
2024-05-06 @ 8:22 PM
Last Modification Date:
2024-10-26 @ 3:26 PM
Study NCT ID:
NCT06357286
Status:
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Last Update Posted:
2024-04-10
First Post:
2024-04-04
Brief Title:
Income Volatility and Mental Health Pilot Study
Sponsor:
Cornell University
Organization:
Cornell University
Study Overview
Official Title:
Unstable Income Rising Stress The Effect of Income Instability on Psychological and Physiological Health Pilot Study
Status:
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Status Verified Date:
2024-04
Last Known Status:
None
Delayed Posting:
No
If Stopped, Why?:
Not Stopped
Has Expanded Access:
False
If Expanded Access, NCT#:
N/A
Has Expanded Access, NCT# Status:
N/A
Acronym:
None
Brief Summary:
Income instability is a defining aspect of the lives of the poor who also disproportionately suffer from poor mental and physical health Our research is the first to assess the causal effects of predictable and unpredictable income instability on the psychological and physical health of the poor It will advance the scientific knowledge on the effects of economic instability as well as our understanding of health disparities
Detailed Description:
The poor suffer disproportionally from poor mental and physical health Many causes for these disparities have been considered including low income But poor families incomes are not only low but also often unstable and unpredictable This instability creates uncertainty about whether they will be able to safeguard their future wellbeing According to the allostatic load framework prolonged activation of physiological stress responses will cause wear and tear on the body heightening risks of cardiovascular disease and of age-related metabolic diseases promoting cognitive decline and dementia and accelerating cellular aging
This research will study the causal effects of income instability on the psychological and physical health of the poor Our specific aims are to 1 Identify the causal effect of income instability on psychological health eg depression anxiety biomarkers of stress eg cortisol and physical health eg blood pressure 2 Decompose the effects identified in aim 1 into the effects of predictable and unpredictable instability and compare to the impact of increasing the average level of income and 3 Investigate the channels through which effects on health occur including both economic and behavioral channels and estimate the impact of key moderating factors eg age gender baseline mental health
The trial will be conducted in northern Ghana We will manipulate income instability by varying the number of work hours and hence earnings of participants in a cash-for-work program Participants in the first treatment arm will have a fixed work schedule with the same hours and earning each period The hours and earnings of a second treatment arm will vary over time but the fluctuations will be known in advance Finally the number of work hours and earnings of a third treatment arm will fluctuate unpredictably Each of these arms will be compared to a control group that is surveyed but not offered additional work Importantly we will vary income instability while holding the average level of income constant in order to disentangle the impact of instability from the level-effect
The full study will create 1867 new jobs that would not otherwise be available during the lean season when jobs are scarce The intervention has been designed so that the job opportunity cannot make them worse off than they would otherwise have been in the absence of research
Please note this registration is for a pilot study n approximately 400 prior to the main experiment As such we anticipate the pilot will be underpowered and do not expect to find significant effects
This research will study the causal effects of income instability on the psychological and physical health of the poor Our specific aims are to 1 Identify the causal effect of income instability on psychological health eg depression anxiety biomarkers of stress eg cortisol and physical health eg blood pressure 2 Decompose the effects identified in aim 1 into the effects of predictable and unpredictable instability and compare to the impact of increasing the average level of income and 3 Investigate the channels through which effects on health occur including both economic and behavioral channels and estimate the impact of key moderating factors eg age gender baseline mental health
The trial will be conducted in northern Ghana We will manipulate income instability by varying the number of work hours and hence earnings of participants in a cash-for-work program Participants in the first treatment arm will have a fixed work schedule with the same hours and earning each period The hours and earnings of a second treatment arm will vary over time but the fluctuations will be known in advance Finally the number of work hours and earnings of a third treatment arm will fluctuate unpredictably Each of these arms will be compared to a control group that is surveyed but not offered additional work Importantly we will vary income instability while holding the average level of income constant in order to disentangle the impact of instability from the level-effect
The full study will create 1867 new jobs that would not otherwise be available during the lean season when jobs are scarce The intervention has been designed so that the job opportunity cannot make them worse off than they would otherwise have been in the absence of research
Please note this registration is for a pilot study n approximately 400 prior to the main experiment As such we anticipate the pilot will be underpowered and do not expect to find significant effects
Study Oversight
Has Oversight DMC:
None
Is a FDA Regulated Drug?:
False
Is a FDA Regulated Device?:
False
Is an Unapproved Device?:
None
Is a PPSD?:
None
Is a US Export?:
None
Is an FDA AA801 Violation?:
None