Peer Education for Gender Inclusion and Substance Use in Southern Africa

Launched by UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, BASEL, SWITZERLAND · Jun 28, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called PEGISUS (Peer Education for Gender Inclusion and Substance Use in Southern Africa), is looking at a new way to help young people reduce their substance use and promote gender equality. The study will involve adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 24 who have been using alcohol or drugs regularly in social settings. Participants will join vocational training programs in Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, where they will take part in nine sessions focused on understanding and changing substance use behaviors and gender beliefs. Some groups will receive this special intervention, while others will follow the standard training program and receive a healthcare referral for substance use.

To be eligible for the trial, participants need to be between 16 and 24 years old, have a history of substance use, and be able to speak either the local language or English. They should also be committed to participating fully in the vocational training and willing to identify a few peers to join them. Throughout the study, participants will complete surveys at the beginning, 12 weeks, and 20 weeks later to share their experiences and progress. It’s important to know that those with untreated serious mental health issues or currently receiving treatment for substance use will not be able to participate.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adolescents and young adults 16 - 24 years old
• • At least weekly self-reported alcohol/drug use in a peer group in the past month or at least monthly heavy episodic drinking with peers over the past three months
• • Comfortable communicating in the predominant local language or English
• • Lives in the target community and plans to remain in the area for the next 12 months
• • Eligible to participate in the vocational training (VT) program (according to the VT program's own entry guidelines) and willing to participate in the entirety of the program
• • Interested to participate in a substance reduction and gender equity beliefs program and able to identify 2 to 5 peers to join
• • Willing to have PEGISUS workshop sessions audio/video-recorded (if assigned to that group)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Untreated major mental illness that interferes with study participation, such as active suicidality, or unmanaged bipolar disorder or psychotic disorder
• • Currently receiving psychological treatment for substance use
• • Participation in another VT/skills development program or another trial that is judged by the site investigator as non-compatible with this study
• • Unable to provide informed consent or informed assent