{
  "abstract": "Introduction South Asia carries the burden of a rapidly changing climate with floods and extreme heat. These disasters further translate into mental health distress, financial stress and detrimental effects on well-being, with women being the most vulnerable. This study aims to demonstrate that mental health screening, referral and resilience-building group sessions can be successfully administered by community health workers and primary health facility staff in a flood-affected rural population of women in Pakistan and provide evidence on the effectiveness of this approach for improving their mental health status.Methods and analysis A quasi-experimental design with a comparison group will be used for the study, preceded by a formative phase. The formative phase evaluated the feasibility of mental health screening by Lady Health Workers (LHWs) in flood-affected areas using a qualitative approach such as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Manuals developed by the study team of mPareshan will be used to train LHWs, Lady Health Supervisors (LHS) and health facility staff. Following this, LHWs will briefly screen women aged 18 to 49 years, administer awareness-raising and resilience-building sessions and refer women who screen positive for depression or anxiety to a primary health facility. Physicians at the health facility will confirm the diagnosis and provide counselling to mild-moderate cases, while severe cases would be referred to specialists. Statistical evaluation of quantitative data and thematic content analysis of qualitative data will be conducted to assess the feasibility and impact of the intervention. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov with number NCT06756165.Ethics and dissemination The study acquired ethical approval from the Ethical Review Committee at Aga Khan University (2024-10475-30776) and the National Bioethics Committee (4-87/NBC-1158/23/481) in Islamabad. Approval was obtained from relevant provincial authorities. The trial will adhere to the ethical principles of autonomy, anonymity, confidentiality, equity and respect. All eligible participants will be provided with informed consent, details regarding the purpose and procedure of the study, and the right to withdraw at any time. Data and information will be anonymised and stored securely. Dissemination of the results of the trial will occur after its completion to stakeholders, participants and the public.Trial registration number NCT06756165.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute for Global Health & Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan",
        "Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Jai K Das"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Michelle F Gaffey"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute for Global Health & Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Zoya Navid Ansari"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute for Global Health & Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Mushtaq Mirani"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute for Global Health & Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Farhana Tabassum"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute for Global Health & Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Maira Niaz"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Brain & Mind Institute, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Amna Siddiqui"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Brain & Mind Institute, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan",
        "Community Health Sciences, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Fauziah Rabbani"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute for Global Health & Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Arjumand Rizvi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Imran Ahmed"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Brain & Mind Institute, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan"
      ],
      "name": "Murad Khan"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Institute for Global Health & Development, The Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan",
        "Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada"
      ],
      "name": "Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Community-based mental health screening & referral for flood-affected women in rural Pakistan: an intervention feasibility study protocol",
  "uid": "53ac279c-977a-54e8-96d3-98dcb1cbb4c6"
}