Research Publications

Applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Optimize Implementation Strategies for the Friendship Bench Psychological Intervention in Zimbabwe

Scaling up an evidence-based mental health program such as the Friendship Bench (FB) Zimbabwe bares many difficulties. Guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), this study sought to …

Effect of the Friendship Bench Intervention on Antiretroviral Therapy Outcomes and Mental Health Symptoms in Rural Zimbabwe

This cluster randomized trial evaluates the effect of the Friendship Bench intervention on antiretroviral therapy outcome and mental health symptoms among patients with HIV in rural Zimbabwe.

Effect of the Friendship Bench intervention on antiretroviral therapy outcomes and mental health symptoms in rural Zimbabwe: A cluster randomized trial

Importance Common mental disorders (CMD) are prevalent in people living with HIV and associated with suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Objective To assess the effect of a lay health worker-led …

Using the RE-AIM framework to evaluate the implementation of scaling-up the Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe - a quantitative observational study.

This study aimed to evaluate the real-world implementation of the Friendship Bench (FB) - an evidence-based brief psychological intervention delivered by community health workers (CHWs) - three years after its …

A Digital Mental Health Intervention (Inuka) for Common Mental Health Disorders in Zimbabwean Adults in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Feasibility and Acceptability Pilot Study.

Common mental health disorders (CMDs) are leading causes of disability globally. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the burden of CMDs. COVID-19 containment measures, including lockdowns, have disrupted access …

Adaptation of a Problem-solving Program (Friendship Bench) to Treat Common Mental Disorders Among People Living With HIV and AIDS and on Methadone Maintenance Treatment in Vietnam: Formative Study.

The prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) among people living with HIV and people who inject drugs is high worldwide and in Vietnam. However, few evidence-informed CMD programs for people …

Adaptation of Friendship Bench, a problem-solving intervention, to treat common mental disorders among people living with HIV/AIDS and on methadone maintenance treatment in Vietnam (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) among people living with HIV (PWH) and people who inject drugs (PWID) is high globally and in Vietnam. Yet, few evidence-based CMD interventions …

Economic threshold analysis of delivering a task-sharing treatment for common mental disorders at scale: the Friendship Bench, Zimbabwe

Background Task-sharing treatment approaches offer a pragmatic approach to treating common mental disorders in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Friendship Bench (FB), developed in Zimbabwe with increasing adoption in …

Using a theory of change to develop an integrated intervention for depression, diabetes and hypertension in Zimbabwe: lessons from the Friendship Bench project.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are projected to become the leading cause of disability and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030; a vast treatment gap exists. There is a dearth of knowledge …

Optimising implementation strategies of the first scaleup of a primary care psychological intervention for common mental disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa: a mixed methods study protocol for the optimised Friendship Bench (OptFB).

Common mental disorders (CMDs) are a leading cause of disability globally. CMDs are highly prevalent in Zimbabwe and have been addressed by an evidence-based, task-shifting psychological intervention called the Friendship …

A Mixed-Methods Process Evaluation: Integrating Depression Treatment Into HIV Care in Malawi.

Depression is highly prevalent among people living with HIV in Malawi. Depression can undermine engagement in HIV care and worsen HIV morbidity and mortality. The Ministry of Health integrated a …

The Friendship Bench as a brief psychological intervention with peer support in rural Zimbabwean women: a mixed methods pilot evaluation

Abstract Background There is a large treatment gap for common mental disorders in rural areas of low-income countries. We tested the Friendship Bench as a brief psychological intervention delivered by …

Potential Resilience to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Common Mental Disorders among Lay Health Workers Working on the Friendship Bench Programme in Zimbabwe

Abstract:Purpose. The Friendship Bench is a successful task-shifting intervention for addressing common mental disorders in Zimbabwe. The intervention takes a cognitive behavioural therapy and problem-solving approach provided by lay health …

“Seeing a Brighter Future” – Experiences of Adolescents with Common Mental Disorders Receiving the Problem-Solving Therapy “Youth Friendship Bench” in Zimbabwe

Abstract In Zimbabwe common mental disorders are prevalent among adolescents and the treatment gap is large. The recently introduced Youth Friendship Bench intervention (YouFB) addresses this gap by task-shifting youth …

Interview topic guide for: "Impact of Friendship Bench problem-solving therapy on adherence to ART in young people living with HIV in Zimbabwe"

Interview topic guides made available to support a paper titled "Impact of Friendship Bench problem-solving therapy on adherence to ART in young people living with HIV in Zimbabwe: A qualitative …

Impact of Friendship Bench problem-solving therapy on adherence to ART in young people living with HIV in Zimbabwe: A qualitative study

Background Adolescents and young people globally are highly vulnerable to poor mental health especially depression, and they account for 36% of new HIV infections in Eastern and Southern Africa. HIV …

A community health volunteer delivered problem-solving therapy mobile application based on the Friendship Bench ‘Inuka Coaching’ in Kenya: A pilot cohort study

Abstract Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the largest care gap for common mental disorders (CMDs) globally, heralding the use of cost-cutting approaches such as task-shifting and digital technologies as viable …

The Experiences of Counsellors Offering Problem-Solving Therapy for Common Mental Health Issues at the Youth Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe

Abstract There is growing evidence that lay health workers providing counselling is a feasible approach of addressing the universally large treatment gap for mental disorders. This study illuminates the experiences …

Friendship Bench problem-solving therapy and its impact on adherence to ART among young people – Interview transcripts

The Friendship Bench Project

Perceptions of HIV-related trauma in people living with HIV in Zimbabwe’s Friendship Bench Program: A qualitative analysis of counselors’ and clients’ experiences

This study investigated the experience of lay health workers (LHWs) delivering problem-solving therapy (PST) for common mental disorders (CMD) as well as clients’ views of the PST program referred to …

Adaptation of the Friendship Bench Intervention for HIV-infected Perinatal Women in Lilongwe

Reducing the treatment gap for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in Africa: lessons from the Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe

Mental, neurological and substance use disorders (MNS) are a leading cause of disability in Africa. In response to the large treatment gap for MNS, a growing body of evidence-based treatments …

Lay Health Workers' Experience of Delivering a Problem Solving Therapy Intervention for Common Mental Disorders Among People Living with HIV: A Qualitative Study from Zimbabwe.

There is growing evidence supporting the use of lay health workers (LHWs) to address the treatment gap for common mental disorders (CMD) through task-shifting. This study looks at the experience …