Trial results for the Sibling-Support for Adolescent Girls (SSAGE) study, focusing on Depression, Anxiety, and Mental Illness, were posted on ClinicalTrials.gov on 2025-07-20. The study, which enrolled 186 participants, detailed various participant counts for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom.
Background
Forcibly displaced adolescents face increased risks for mental illness and distress, with adolescent girls disproportionately affected due to heightened gender inequity that often accompanies forced displacement. The family unit holds potential to prevent mental illness and promote healthy development in adolescents. However, few family interventions have employed a gender transformative approach or included male siblings to maximize benefits for adolescent girls. This context highlights the importance of interventions like SSAGE, which aims to address these specific vulnerabilities and leverage family support in a novel way.
Trial design
This completed study, identified as Phase NA, enrolled 186 participants with conditions including Anxiety, Depression, and Mental Illness. The trial, titled 'Sibling-Support for Adolescent Girls (SSAGE)', was designed to assess an innovative whole-family and gender transformative intervention. It aimed to include male siblings in an effort to maximize benefits for adolescent girls facing mental illness and distress in contexts of forced displacement. The study compared outcomes between the 'Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies (SSAGE)' intervention group and a 'Control Arm'.
Key results
The trial results reported participant counts for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom across both study arms:
- For the 'Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies (SSAGE)' group, participant counts were 44, 24, 50, 39, 38, and 31.
- For the 'Control Arm', participant counts were 42, 28, 41, 43, 40, and 22.
What this means
The posted results provide specific participant counts for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom in both the Sibling Support for Adolescent Girls in Emergencies (SSAGE) group and the Control Arm. These data contribute to the understanding of how the SSAGE intervention may influence mental health symptoms in forcibly displaced adolescent girls, as measured by these symptom counts. Further analysis would be needed to interpret the clinical significance of these specific numbers within the context of the trial's objectives.
Source
The information regarding these trial results was obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov, a public database of clinical studies. The results for the study NCT06078124, titled 'Sibling-Support for Adolescent Girls (SSAGE)', were posted on 2025-07-20 on clinicaltrials.gov.
