Cash Transfers Improve the Mental Health and Well-being of Youth
Evidence from the Kenyan Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Publication date: 2016-02
Publication series:
Innocenti Research Briefs
No. of pages: 2
Download the report
(PDF, 1.08 MB)
Related Project(s):
Abstract
Approximately half of all mental health disorders begin by age 14, and three-quarters by age 24. Among adolescents, depression is one of the leading contributors to morbidity, while suicide and interpersonal violence are among the leading causes of mortality. Mental ill-health also reinforces poverty through decreased productivity and loss of earnings, increased health expenditures, and social stigma. Since the evidence on the effects of poverty-alleviation programmes on mental health have been inconclusive, there is a need for research on specific poverty-alleviation interventions for vulnerable groups who are more at risk for poor mental well-being.
Available in:
English