Evidence mapPaperPMID 36930663Full record

Trial reportPloS one2023

Combining cash transfers and cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce antisocial behavior in young men: A mediation analysis of a randomized controlled trial in Liberia.

Marina Xavier Carpena, Cristiane Silvestre Paula, Christian Loret de Mola, Philipp Hessel, Mauricio Avendano, Sara Evans-Lacko, Alicia Matijasevich

Open access · goldFull text readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 6 institutions in 5 countries.

Marina Xavier CarpenaDevelopmental Disorders Program, Center of Biological Science and Health, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, São Paulo, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-4690-5791
Cristiane Silvestre PaulaPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Distúrbios do Desenvolvimento e Centro Mackenzie de Pesquisa sobre a Infância e Adolescência- Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (UPM), São Paulo-SP, Brazil.
Christian Loret de MolaPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Pública, FURG, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil.ORCID 0000-0002-5264-5914
Philipp HesselSwiss Center for Tropical and Public Health, Household Economics and Health Systems Research Unit, Basel, CH, Switzerland.
Mauricio AvendanoCenter for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Sara Evans-LackoCare Policy and Evaluation Centre, Department of Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, United Kingdom.
Alicia MatijasevichDepartamento de Medicina Preventiva, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie · BRCentre universitaire de médecine générale et santé publique, Lausanne · CHLondon School of Economics and Political Science · GBSwiss Tropical and Public Health Institute · CHUniversidade de São Paulo · BRUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande · BR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInterventions that combine cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with unconditional cash transfers (UCT) reduce the risk of antisocial behavior (ASB), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this paper, we test the role of psychological and cognitive mechanisms in explaining this effect. We assessed the mediating role of executive function, self-control, and time preferences.

methodsWe used data from the Sustainable Transformation of Youth in Liberia, a community-based randomized controlled trial of criminally engaged men. The men were randomized into: Group-1: control (n = 237); and Group-2: CBT+UCT (n = 207). ASB was measured 12-13 months after the interventions were completed, and the following mediators were assessed 2-5 weeks later: (i) self-control, (ii) time preferences and (iii) executive functions. We estimated the natural direct effect (NDE) and the natural indirect effect (NIE) of the intervention over ASB.

resultsSelf-control, time preferences and a weighted index of all three mediators were associated with ASB scores, but the intervention influenced time preferences only [B = 0.09 95%CI (0.03; 0.15)]. There was no evidence that the effect of the intervention on ASB was mediated by self-control [BNIE = 0.007 95%CI (-0.01; 0.02)], time preferences [BNIE = -0.02 95%CI (-0.05; 0.01)], executive functions [BNIE = 0.002 95%CI (-0.002; 0.006)] or the weighted index of the mediators [BNIE = -0.0005 95%CI (-0.03; 0.02)].

conclusionsUCT and CBT lead to improvements in ASB, even in the absence of mediation via psychological and cognitive functions. Findings suggest that the causal mechanisms may involve non-psychological pathways.

Indexed as

Antisocial Personality DisorderCognitive Behavioral TherapyAdolescentCausalityHumansLiberiaMaleMediation Analysis

Identifiers

PMID36930663
PMCPMC10022758
OpenAlexW4327682053

What Socratic holds

Textfull text, public
LicenceCC BY
reference markers read1
measurements read9
identifiers read4
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.