# TOPOWA Study: Social Drivers of Mental Illness among AGYW in Slums.

> **NIH NIH R01** · KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $654,398

## Abstract

Project Summary Abstract
Despite extensive research linking poverty to mental illness, there is a dearth of studies examining
mechanisms of resilience against complex proximal stressors in low-resource settings. Our
previous work, conducted during Dr. Swahn’s Fulbright Award and via long-standing
collaborations with Makerere University, demonstrates that urban youth in Kampala, Uganda,
particularly Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) experience many adverse social
drivers which contribute to their poor mental health.
 Our proposed TOPOWA project (meaning empowerment) will used a mixed-methods
approach to examine the mechanisms for which Socioeconomic Strengthening Targeted
Training (SeSTT) moderates the pathway between the adverse effects of poverty (proximal social
and environmental stressors) and mental illness among AGYW in Kampala. Previous, but
limited, research demonstrates the positive impact of SeSTT on employment and improved
mental health among AGYW. Building on the Social Determinants of Mental Health (SDoMH)
and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) frameworks, we will target AGYW ages 18-24 years,
the age period when most mental health symptoms are manifested and expressed. Embedded
within the SDoMH conceptual model we will focus on stress, operationalized through the RDoC
framework as Negative Valence -Acute, Sustained Threat and Arousal and Regulatory Systems.
 Using a multicomponent 27-month, parallel prospective cohort design of AGYW, we will
recruit 300 participants to determine the pathways and mechanisms of mental health outcomes
using 10 quarterly, tablet administered survey assessments (Time 1-10). Participants will be
those enrolled in a community-based intervention program (n=150and an age- and location-
matched non-intervention community sample (n=150). The objective is to determine the
mechanistic changes of SeSTT on the proximal social stressors and mental health outcomes
(i.e., anxiety, depression, suicidality and substance use symptoms and disorders) among
AGYW.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10552045
- **Project number:** 5R01MH128930-02
- **Recipient organization:** KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Monica H Swahn
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $654,398
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-01-18 → 2026-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10552045

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10552045, TOPOWA Study: Social Drivers of Mental Illness among AGYW in Slums. (5R01MH128930-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10552045. Licensed CC0.

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