# ASHA Bangladesh--An Integrated Intervention to Address Depression in Low Income Rural Women

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER · 2024 · $46,119

## Abstract

A leading cause of global disability, depression is widespread among women in low- and middle-
income countries (LMIC). Poverty plays a major role in depression via multiple pathways, while
depression worsens poverty, compromising economic productivity. Efforts to increase access to
depression treatment in LMIC have been hampered by low treatment uptake/engagement and weak
treatment effects. Recently, researchers & policy makers have pointed to the importance of poverty
alleviation in the fight again the global depression pandemic. Our ongoing NIMH funded study, ASHA,
is implementing an integrated poverty alleviation/depression treatment intervention for low-income
women in rural Bangladesh, designed to break the toxic cycle of poverty and depression. The ASHA
project is a randomized controlled trial testing an integrated depression treatment/economic
empowerment intervention against conventional depression treatment alone.
 Addressing the epidemic of depression and related common mental disorders in low- and middle-
income countries requires innovative intervention approaches. A young, diversified scientific workforce
is key to improving science in this area. This application describes a fellowship training program, via the
Diversity Supplement mechanism, that will offer intensive training to a young psychologist who is the
first in her family to attend college. Ms. Shidad will participate in didactic, pragmatic, and hands on
research and training activities both in the US and in Bangladesh. She will work closely with ASHA PIs
and will conduct a small-scale study of the social network impacts of the ASHA trial. The traineeship will
support Ms. Shidad’s graduate school applications and prepare her in other ways for a career in global
mental health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10990454
- **Project number:** 3R01MH127577-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF MASSACHUSETTS MED SCH WORCESTER
- **Principal Investigator:** ALISON KARASZ
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $46,119
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-09-02 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10990454

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10990454, ASHA Bangladesh--An Integrated Intervention to Address Depression in Low Income Rural Women (3R01MH127577-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10990454. Licensed CC0.

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