Evaluating effects of Community-based Social Healing Model on Ubuntu, mental health and psychosocial functioning in post-genocide Rwanda: Protocol for Cluster Randomized Control Trial

Background: The Community-Based Social Healing (CBSH) model by Ubuntu Centre for Peace aims to help those with traumatic experiences and mental health issues achieve better mental health. CBSH integrates BREATH-BODY-MIND™ (BBM) practices with collective narrative and rituals through Community Healing Assistants in therapeutic groups. An earlier pilot study showed significant mental health improvements among1,889 Rwandans who participated in the CBSH, including reduced depression, anxiety, and PTSD, improved work productivity and decreased intimate partner violence. The trial focuses on CBSH’s impact on Ubuntu This trial focuses on CBSH's impact on Ubuntu—a philosophy of humanness, compassion, and interconnectedness deeply rooted in the African philosophy––and mental health. Methods/Design: This cluster randomized controlled trial, This cluster randomized controlled trial involves 54 randomly selected villages in Kirehe district, with 1080 participants allocated equally to the CBSH intervention or a wait-list control group. Outcomes are measured at the person-level, with primary outcomes being Ubuntu and mental health. Ubuntu is assessed using a context-adapted Ubuntu measurement scale. Mental health measures include the Patient Health Questionnaire for depression (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing scale (WEMWS), 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISK-10), and Patient Health Questionnaire 15-item Somatic Symptom Severity Scale (PHQ-15). Secondary outcomes include the Revised Conflict Tactics scale short form (CTS2S SHORT FORM) and the Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool (SASCAT). Conclusion This Trial explores the CBSH model’s impacts on Ubuntu, mental health, and social functioning among trauma-affected Rwandans, including those impacted by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, mass killings, sexual abuse, and domestic abuse. The results will be valuable for the Ubuntu Centre for Peace, policymakers, healthcare practitioners, and other stakeholders, highlighting the significance of promoting Ubuntu in addressing mental health and psychosocial trauma consequences.Top of Form Bottom of Form Trial registration: ISRCTN with ID: ISRCTN17659369. It was registered on February 09, 2024.