women collectives during COVID-19 pandemic
Study report
September 2020
Department of Development Communication and Extension
Lady Irwin College, New Delhi
A technical support agency to DAY-NRLM, Ministry of Rural Development, supported by UNICEF India
1
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge and thank Dr. Prabha Chandra, NIMHANS, Bangalore, Dr. Sayeed Unisa,
IIPS, Mumbai, Mr. Mahendra Prajapati, UNICEF Chhattisgarh and Dr. Vani Sethi, UNICEF
ICO, for their technical support and inputs for conceptualisation and design of this study. We
thank Chhattisgarh State Rural Livelihoods Mission ‘BIHAN’ for their support in the
implementation of this study and providing their inputs. We are grateful to the National
Mission Management Unit of DAY-NRLM, Ministry of Rural Development, for their
continuous support, inputs and guidance.
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3
Background India has the world’s largest adolescent (10-19 year) population, with 253 million individuals
falling into this category (United Nations Population Fund, 2011). The term “adolescence”
literally means “to emerge”, “to mature” or “achieve identity”. It is a significant phase of
transition from childhood to adulthood, which is marked by physical changes accompanied by
psychological changes. It is a crucial phase to build awareness and inform adolescents about
various facets of life in order to promote a healthy lifestyle. Awareness of health, nutrition, and
lifestyle related behavior and Adolescent Reproductive & Sexual Health (ARSH) need to be
positioned in this phase of life in order to improve the health of adolescent girls and facilitate
a better informed transition to womanhood. During this period, nutritional problems originating
earlier in life as well as those occurring during the period can be addressed. Going beyond this,
Adolescent Girls need to be viewed not just in terms of their needs but even as individuals who
would become productive members of society in future.
Adolescence falls in a critical age group of transition between childhood and adulthood,
experiencing physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes and preparing for adulthood and
the future of any country depends on how effective this preparation is (Larson et al, 2002).
Hence, their overall psychosocial well-being, resilience and self-efficacy is of paramount
importance. Adolescent groups have supported in terms of health and nutrition services to a
large extent in India. Several services have been initiated to improve adolescent girls’ access
to food, nutrition, health, and hygiene. These include biannual health check-ups, weekly Iron
Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation, and counselling implemented through programmes like
Anaemia Mukt Bharat and Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakaram by the Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare. Additionally, Ministry of Human Resource Development works for
promoting secondary education, mid-day meal schemes and hygiene and sanitation services.
However, aspects of psychosocial wellbeing in the context of development and resilience stand
relatively untouched in these areas and have not been initiated sufficiently. Psychological needs
and gendering patterns that impact the wellbeing outcomes of adolescent girls need to be
recognised. In 2016, the Lancet Commission on adolescent health and wellbeing called for a
focus on reducing inequities linked to gender and poverty that are factored by social, economic
and cultural systems (Patton et al, 2016). According to WHO, gender-related risk factors are
critical determinants to mental health, wellbeing and resilience (Kapungu and Petroni, 2017).
Social and gender norms perpetuated by the socio-cultural environments are critical in shaping
the lives of adolescent girls. To ensure wellbeing and health of adolescents, it is critical to
address the social determinants (Samuels et al., 2017). Studies also suggest that the COVID-
19 pandemic and lockdown have imposed restrictions on adolescent girls’ mobility and social
networks and the closure of schools has largely impacted their education and mental health
(The YP Foundation, 2020).
In rural Chhattisgarh, only 20.1% of women between the age of 15-49 have completed 10 or
more years of schooling while 23.5% of women between 20-24 years are married before 18
years of age and 5.1% of girls aged 15-19 are already mothers (MoHFW, 2017). In Bastar,
34% and 48% of girls aged 15-19 years have a say in whom they marry and when they marry
4
(Sethi et al, 2019). Such conditions put young girls and women at higher risk of social,
economic, physical and psychological hardships, restricting them to reach their full potential.
The Swabhimaan programme led by women collective under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana
– National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) seeks to improve adolescent girls’
nutrition outcomes in five resource blocks of Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. DAY-NRLM
collectivises women into SHGs that act as protection networks within the community by
improving financial inclusion, livelihoods, and the status of food security, health, nutrition,
WASH and gender. Under this programme, adolescent girls’ groups are mobilised to conduct
weekly/fortnightly meetings, mobilising them to access health services, providing them loans
to promote secondary education and preventing child marriage. Programme’s midline
evaluation in Bastar showed that 31% adolescent girls aged 15-19 years were not attending
school in 2019, out of which, 56% dropped out in standard 6-8 and 39% in standard 9-12.
Further, 57% of girls reported that adolescent girls could take decisions about going to school
to studying, only 15% reported having the autonomy to socialise outside their home, participate
in activities in the village and 60% can take the decision about going to school or studying,
only 18% think they can take the decision regarding whom to marry (IIPS, 2019).
In 2019-20, CG-SRLM initiated process of making Swabhimaan programme gender
transformative. A formative research was conducted in 40 villages of Bastar block to inform
programme design to be gender transformative. Findings from focused group discussion and
in-depth interviews with adolescent girls (12-18 years) and adult men and women (18-35 years)
found that early marriages took place as a result of pervasive anxiety around adolescent girls’
safety, sexuality and honour. This perspective also places the burden of the family’s honour on
adolescent girls and women . Girls also reported burden of household work, control over their
mobility and lack of decision-making power, as well as domestic violence. This highlighted
the gender impact on outcomes of girls and the need for engaging men to promote gender
equality (ROSHNI, 2019). Further, restrictions on mobility to curb spread of the COVID-19
virus and resultant shocks to income and food insecurity have exacerbated effects of existing
gender inequalities (Akseer et al, 2020) and gender-based violence, attributed to risk factors
such as economic insecurity and alcohol consumption (Mittal et al, 2020). Multiple outcomes
such as education, livelihoods, sexual and reproductive health, the burden of unpaid care, early
and forced marriage have been impacted (Briggs et al, 2020).
Objective This study dwells deeper into variables like gender disadvantage, resilience and psychological
distress as important determinants for an adolescent girl’s psychosocial wellbeing in Bastar
block in Chhattisgarh, India. Resilience is a process wherein an individual adapts in the face of
adversity and is able to cope with stress. They are able to ‘bounce back’ and deal with various
challenges (Windle et al, 2011). India ranks 112th in the Global Gender Gap 2020 Rankings
and economic opportunities for women are extremely limited. This indicates opportunity
poverty in attainment of education and employment in comparison to boys and further leads to
a lag in the attainment of psychosocial well-being, optimum potential and a secure future. We
aim to gain insight of gender disadvantage faced by adolescent girls, measure ability of
5
adolescent girls to bounce back or recover from stress and identify levels of psychological
distress by administering standard measurement with adolescent girls from tribal areas,
weaving a pathway of adolescent girls’ well-being.
Methodology Design The study was conducted in September 2020 in Bastar block of Bastar District, Chhattisgarh,
during the period of partial lockdown with school closures. This is nested in the larger
programme impact evaluation, Swabhimaan programme, implemented by Chhattisgarh State
Rural Livelihoods Mission ‘BIHAN’, in partnership with UNICEF Chhattisgarh. Programme’s
intervention area has predominantly Scheduled Tribes (STs) population. As per the baseline
survey conducted in 2017, among adolescent girls interviewed, 65% belong to STs, 29% to
Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and remaining to Scheduled Castes and others (IIPS, 2017).
A total sample of 102 non-married, non-pregnant adolescent girls aged between 14 to 20 years
were interviewed telephonically. To draw out the sample, the block was divided into four
cluster areas: Chamiya, Ghotiya, Kesarpal, and Parchanpal. Cluster areas were the primary
sampling unit. Villages were purposively sampled in each cluster, based on the following
criteria: far off villages that are more than 5 km of distance from the state highway and nearby
villages that are closer to the state highway, to capture the geographical representation of the
block. From the sampled villages, two school-going and two out-of-school adolescent girls
between the age of 15-19 years were randomly mapped and listed from each village.
Adolescent pregnant women were excluded since they come in the category of ‘pregnant
women’ as per the programme.
Tool and data collection Bilingual (English and Hindi), structured questionnaire was developed, including questions on
socio-demographics, education status, aspiration, agency, access to services during COVID-
19, community-level support, gender disadvantage, psychological distress and resilience
(attached in Annexure 1). Gender disadvantage was measured using Checklist for Assessment
of Gender Disadvantage (CAGED) (Chandra and Satyanarayana, 2013), is a standard, tested
questionnaire with 15-items covering themes on gender discrimination, violence and sexual
harassment, barriers to personal growth related to gender and emotional distress due to gender
disadvantage (Satyanarayana et al, 2016). The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) is a 6-item scale
to assess resilience in terms of the ability to bounce back or recover from stress (Smith et al.,
2008). To assess psychological distress, Kessler Psychological Distress 10-item scale (K-10)
was used (Kessler, 2001). Both, BRS and K-10 are 5-point Likert scales.
The questionnaire, including the scales were translated into Hindi using standard translation
procedures. The questionnaire was tested with ten community resource persons of Swabhimaan
programme in Bastar Block to capture interpretations, comprehension, retrieval, judgement and
response of each scale. Free-listing of colloquial words of the scale’s terms was also done. The
questionnaire were revised and pre-tested with ten adolescent girls between 15-19 years (drop-
out and school-going) to check tool’s efficacy, language, conceptual clarity, readability and
6
time taken. Scales were administered after background questions, sequenced based on intensity
of questions. To reduce inter-enumerator bias and interpretation discrepancy, a standard script
was followed, using standard vignettes developed to explain questions in each scale with
colloquial language and careful probing in order to give context to the respondents.
The data was collected remotely, through structured telephonic interviews. Five enumerators
were trained on telephonic survey methods and ethics of data collection through telephone
during COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire was hosted on open source software,
KoBoToolbox. Online training on questionnaire and measurement tools, probing and use of
colloquial language was conducted using roleplays. Enumerators contacted respondents using
respondents’ phone numbers. Respondents were contacted prior to the actual interview to
schedule time for interview to ensure their availability and maintain privacy. All respondents
were given prior information about the study. Informed, verbal consent from parents/guardians
and assent from adolescent girls was recorded. Information obtained to be used for this study.
For additional support on field, Community Resource Persons supported in reaching out to the
adolescent girls and provide prior information about the study to the guardians.
Challenges faced and learnings from telephonic data collection process:
Conducting phone-based interview with adolescent girls
Respondents tend to discontinue the telephone call on facing discomfort and shyness.
Enumerators should spend time in building rapport and ensuring privacy of respondent,
taking the guardian/ parent into confidence.
Comprehension of response structures in measurement scales
For administration of scale-based tool over phone, statements needed to be repeated (to
breakdown the statement and for ease of comprehension). Responses in Yes/No format
are easy to capture telephonically. Scales are difficult to explain – vignettes were
required need for explaining the scale items using anecdotes and situations. For
agreement-based scale – one extra question needs to be asked on whether they strongly
agree or disagree with the statement.
Eliciting and recording responses
Respondents were shy and concerned about ‘right answers’ while responding to
questions. The responses are also driven by the judgement of the respondent – on what
to tell or how to answer. Longer time to 'quantify' answers as per the scales over phone,
rather self-administration, as people tend to answer anecdotally. Anecdotes were useful
to understand whether the respondent had understood the focus of the question, but the
challenge was for the interviewer to help them arrive at a specific answer. Telephonic
interviews miss subtle expressions, non-verbal cues as compared to face-to-face
interviews; interviewers rely on change in voice tone. Inter-interviewers bias may also
affect the responses within respondents. Interviewer’s knowledge of demography,
social fabric, impact discernment of responses can impact the quality of data collected.
Attempts to probe, triangulate and navigate socially desirable answers is needed.
The CAGED tool was easily administered. While using the BRS Scale, the range of experience
on ‘difficult situations’ was limited for younger adolescent girls (impacted by social
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background). Understanding of terms such as 'long time', and ‘little difficulty' was subjective.
Respondent’s understanding of ‘time’ (frequency) in K-10 Psychological Distress Scale was
subjective. In some responses gendered issues came to the fore, which could not be captured
by the K-10 scale.
Data analysis Each interview administered was no longer than 40 minutes. The responses were recorded on
laptops using the questionnaire developed on KoBoToolbox, an open-source software. Data
was exported to MS Excel for analysis and descriptive statistics (Mean, SD, CI) were used to
report on variables such as socio-demographic characteristics, access to health services, group
engagement, status of education during COVID-19 and reasons for dropout, aspirations,
experience of gender disadvantage, self-reported resilience and psychological distress.
Findings and Discussion The mean age of girls was 17.62 (standard deviation [SD] 1.64) and the age range of adolescent
girls was 14-20 years. Due to time gap in mapping the respondents and data collection, some
sampled respondents turned 20 years old. The mean number of household members was 6.5
(SD 2.48, range 3–16), while mean number of siblings (brothers and sisters) was less than two.
The mean level of education was 10.65 (SD 1.76). One in two (53%) were out-of-school at the
time of interview. Three out of four girls were not receiving weekly iron and folic acid
supplementation in the last two months. Almost all were receiving entitled ration from the
Public Distribution System (PDS) shops and about 70% had access to sanitary napkins. About
70% of girls were members of adolescent girls’ groups mobilised in their villages and attending
meetings regularly, receiving knowledge on health, nutrition, hygiene and life skills. Less than
15% girls reported the use of group platforms to discuss about life, future and peer-support.
About 80% of out-of-school girls desired continuing their education (Table 1). Most common
reasons for discontinuation of education were linked to no desire for further education,
dropping out due to shutdown of school during COVID-19 lockdown and parents unwilling to
continue education. Lack of money and poor academic performance were also cited as reasons
for dropout. Among the girls currently in school, they were continuing their studies by self-
study (71%) or attending online classes (60%) during the COVID-19 lockdown. All girls did,
however, express their willingness to continue their education post re-opening of
schools/institutions. About one in two girls (56%) aspired to attain graduation degree and 68%
aspired for formal employment, including jobs such as teacher, nurse and doctor. Daily
engagement in household includes working on household chores (90%) and working on
farming field with parents (56%). Moreover, 68% girls reported spending their time watching
television or videos on the internet for leisure. About 70% confide in their mothers, followed
by friends (50%) and sisters (46%) and 93% girls usually have their friends as companion to
go to school with but do not depend on them. Desired mean age of marriage was 22 years (SD
8.46).
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Table 1: Reasons for school dropout, Effect of COVID-19 lockdown on education,
Aspirations and Social constructs n (%)
Desire to attend school/college
Siblings to look after 4 (7.6)
No money 12 (22.6)
No toilet/separate toilet for girls 0 (0.0)
School doesn’t open regularly 1 (0.0)
Teacher is not coming regularly 2 (0.0)
No accompanying person/girl 3 (0.0)
Others1 25 (47.2)
Missed school for friend
Tuitions in the village 3 (6.3)
Through phone/online classes 29 (60.4)
Not continuing 5 (10.4)
Yes 46 (95.8)
No 1 (2.1)
Others 2 (4.1)
Future employment plans
Job 68 (66.7)
Self-employment 6 (5.9)
Any job with basic income 1 (1.5)
Don't know 2 (2.9)
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Sister 47 (46.1)
Brother 12 (11.8)
Friends 51 (50.0)
Mother 73 (71.6)
Father 30 (29.4)
Others6 23 (22.5)
Note: 1Includes completed 12th standard, not studying further, due to lockdown, parents' unwilling to allow
schooling, illness; 2Includes YouTube classes, learning from siblings, teacher comes to teach; 3Includes
chartered accountant, lawyer, peon, journalist, computer operator, pharmacist; 4Includes giving tuitions,
working, reading, crafting and stitching items; 5Inludes home décor, reading, art and craft, yoga, cooking, hair
styling, henna designing; 6Includes relatives, mangun mit, god, nobody, teacher, neighbour
The five items most endorsed on the CAGED were lack of space or privacy within the
household or neighbourhood (39%), feelings of curtailed freedom and restrictions on pursuing
interest as a gender barrier (32%), no consideration of opinions as gender discrimination (31%),
financial difficulties as hindrance to future opportunities as a gender-related barrier (28%) and
emotional distress due to gender discrimination (26%). The mean score for Brief Resilience
Scale was 2.82 (SD 0.64). One in two girls (48%) displayed normal resilience, while 51% girls’
score showed low resilience (Table 6). Kessler psychological distress scale scores were
computed that identified 19.6% girls facing severe distress, followed by 7.8% and 18.6% girls
reporting moderate to mild distress (Table 7). Mean score was 19.68 with SD 9.23. The
COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges, deprivations and the need for
psychosocial support during such crises. Adolescent girls’ groups can provide social support,
resources, information source to mitigate the challenges and build resilience (Briggs et al.,
2020). This study attempts to use telephonic interview methods to assess the psychosocial
wellbeing in relation to resilience and gender disadvantage faced by the girls from
predominantly tribal populated area. The standard assessment tools can be used for self-
assessment by the community with the purpose of problem identification and monitoring of
wellbeing of women and girls in the community.
Our findings in a rural context, concur with several studies conducted in India that highlight
social determinants as important factors effecting psychosocial wellbeing of adolescent girls.
Gender disadvantage and resilience of adolescent girls are related to psychological distress.
Combined findings from baseline (2016) and midline surveys (2018) under Swabhimaan, as
well as findings from a formative study on engaging family members for gender equality in the
Swabhimaan Programme (ROSHNI, 2019) provide insights into the ways in which gender
disadvantage is felt by adolescent girls. The formative study found that adolescent girls, for
instance, begin contributing to household chores since the age of 6-7 years, whereas this is not
an expectation for boys. Girls are allowed to play after school only after they have completed
their chores. These restrictions are not imposed on boys. Girls also reported that there are no
spaces, other than the school playground for them to play. The findings also revealed a need to
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create an enabling environment for girls to make informed choices and to address forms of
gender-related distress. While girls reported being taught about health & hygiene and that use
of pads were being promoted in schools, gendered taboos around menstruation and were not
discussed. Further, girls and boys were unaware of the physiological aspects of the menstrual
cycle and about precautions that need to be taken during this time.
This study makes a case for further extending support for psychosocial wellbeing to adolescent
girls and women in tribal areas. Based on the insights, concepts of gender and psychosocial
wellbeing can be integrated into women collectives response and plan gender responsive
interventions by engaging family members, such as husbands, mothers-in-law, local
influencers to improve health and nutrition outcomes of women and girls as part of the gender
strategy and community-led actions using approaches such as community-led microplanning
and PLA meetings.
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mitigation strategies: Implications for maternal and child health and nutrition. The
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 112(2), 251–256.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqaa171
2. Briggs, H., Haberland, N., Desai, S., De Hoop, T., D. Ngo, T. (2020) The Impact of
COVID-19 on Opportunities for Adolescent Girls and the Role of Girls’ Group.
Evidence Consortium on Women’s Groups. Available:
https://knowledgecommons.popcouncil.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2249&contex
Chhattisgarh. 2019
4. Kapungu, C. and Petroni, S. (2017). Understanding and Tackling the Gendered Drivers
of Poor Adolescent Mental Health. Washington, DC: International Center for Research
on Women.
5. Kessler, R. (2001) Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10). NSW mental health
outcomes and assessment training facilitator’s manual, NSW Health Department.
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(2002). Changes in adolescents' interpersonal experiences: Are they being prepared for
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7. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, International Institute of Population Sciences
– IIPS. (2017) National Family Health Survey – 4 (2015-16) – State Fact Sheet:
Chattisgarh. Mumbai: International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS)
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mini-review. Frontiers in Global Women's Health, 1, 4.
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(2016). Our future: A Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing. The
Lancet, 387(10036), 2423-2478.
10. ROSHNI-Centre of Women Collectives led Social Action. (2019). Making
Swabhimaan gender transformative: Formative Research on engaging men and boys
for advancing gender equality in Swabhimaan Programme, Findings from Bastar,
Chhattisgarh: Lady Irwin College, New Delhi
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13
Psychosocial Well-Being and Resilience of Adolescent Girls Residing in Bastar
Adolescent Questionnaire -
INTERVIEW DATE START TIME END TIME
DD MM YYYY HH:MM AM/PM HH:MM AM/PM
IDENTIFICATION
Panchayat Name
Name of the Adolescent Girl
-
Contact Number
INFORMED CONSENT FROM PARENTS/ GUARDIANS
Hello! My name is – insert interviewer’s name. I am involved in the Mocho-Mangun (Swabhimaan) program of
BIHAN. I got your number from the village's Mangun Mit Didi –insert the name of the Mangun Mit here– who is
associated with the women SHGs in your village. We work with them and the adolescent girls in your village.
With your consent, we would like to ask your daughter/ sister some questions and information about her health,
her experience during the lockdown, and associated problems. Since we cannot come to your village right now,
we would like to talk over the phone. All information will be safe with us and the information will be used for
the improvement of the program. Can I talk with her now and do you agree with this? This conversation will take
25-30 minutes.
! – insert interviewer’s name– ()
-insert the name of the Mangun Mit here–
- ,
14

/ ? 25-30

-/ /
Yes – ................................................... 1 START
No – .................................................. 0 END
Not now– ................................... 2 Take appointment for next call
ASSENT FROM ADOLESCENT GIRL
Hello, - insert adolescent girl’s name! My name is – insert interviewer’s name. I work with the village's Mangun
Mit Didi –insert the name of the Mangun Mit here– We would like to talk to you about your health, experiences
during the lockdown, and associated problems. Are you willing to talk? This discussion will only take 25-30 minutes. You may sit comfortably in a quiet place where we can talk clearly.
, - insert adolescent girl’s name! – insert interviewer’s name– –insert
the name of the Mangun Mit here–
-
? 25-30
Yes – ................................................... 1
BACKGROUND QUESTIONS
Now I would like to talk to you about your family, health, and your experiences and problems during the lockdown period.
There is no right or wrong answer; you can tell me whatever you understand.
, , -
;
Q. No. QUESTIONS CODING CATEGORIES SKIP
Q1 How many members are there in your
household including the children?
- ,
?
Please specify ............................................
- - ?
Yes – ............................................ 1
Skip to
you have?
Brothers
-
have?
Sisters
-
Q3 What is your date of birth/ How old are
you?
?
(If she doesn’t know her birth date, then just ask
her age in years)
- ? Yes – ................................................... 1
No– ................................................... 0
If 0, Skip
- / ?
Yes – .................................................... 1
No– ................................................... 0
education you have attained?
Highest standard
Q7 Would you like to go to school/college if
given the chance?
, ?
Yes – ................................................... 1
No– ................................................... 0
point of time/ discontinued attending
school/ college?
?
B. Siblings to look after ..................................B
--
C. No money ....................................................C
-
E. Parents want me to marry ............................ E
--
F. Poor performance in school ........................ F
-
G. No toilet/separate toilet for girls ................ G
-/
H. School doesn’t open regularly .................... H
-
Skip if
I. Teacher is not coming regularly .................... I
-
J. No accompanying person/girl ....................... J
- /
K. Other reasons (specify) ............................. K
- ()____________________
school/ college?
- / /?
Multiple Choice, record all mentioned
-
A. Alone........................................................... A
D. Others (specify) .......................................... D
Q10 Has there ever been a time that you did
not attend school/college because your
friend was not going?
/
?
Yes – ........................................... 1
No – .................................................. 0
during this lockdown period?
-
?
Multiple Choice, record all mentioned
-
A. Reading textbooks yourself ........................ A
-
B. Tuition in the village ...................................B
-
C. Through phone classes ................................C
-
D. Not continuing ............................................ D
E. Other methods (specify) .............................. E
- ( ) ____________________
Skip if
reopens, will you be able to continue
your education?
?
Yes – ........................................... 1
No– ................................................... 0
- /
Skip if
would like to obtain?
A. Complete secondary................................... A
B. Higher secondary ........................................B
Skip if
- (BA )
E. Open-school/ college ................................... E
- ( ITI )
G. Other (specify) ........................................... G
- ( )_____________________
Q14 What would you like to do further in your life?
-
?
A. Job ............................................................... A
- /
D. Other (specify) ........................................... D
- ?
A. Teacher ...................................................... A
-/
-/
G. Banking/ insurance .................................... G
-/
-
I. Any job with basic income ............................ I
- /
J. Don’t know/ Can’t say................................... J
- / K. Other (specify) ........................................... K
- ( )_____________________
Q15 .1 In which work/ activities do you spend
your whole day?
?
A. Household chores ....................................... A
--
C. School studies ..............................................C
days in your free time?
-
? Multiple Choice, record all mentioned
-
A. Meeting friends ........................................... A
B. Playing with siblings in house .....................B
--
C. Watching TV/ YouTube ..............................C
- /
D. Other (specify) ........................................... D
lockdown?
- ,
?
Ask each option and record the answer
,

YES NO
teachers/ Mitanin (ASHA) .................. 1 0
-/

- /
- PDS
4. Contact by Mitanin(ASHA) / AWW .. 1 0
- (ASHA)

5. Other (specify)
- ( )_________________
Q17 Who is/are the people you confide in? A. Sister ........................................................... A
-
19
-

? Multiple Choice, record all mentioned
-
B. Brother ........................................................B
girl get married?
?
Age
- /
COMMUNITY LEVEL SUPPORT FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS
-
Q19 Are there any adolescent girls’ groups in
your village that you know of?
-
?
Yes – ................................................... 1
No– ................................................... 0
group in your village?
-
?
any adolescent group meeting?
- 6
?
Yes – ............................................... 1
No– ................................................... 0
from the group?
?
gained from attending the adolescent
girls’ group meetings?
-
/ ?
Multiple Choice, record all mentioned
-
A. Knowledge on health, nutrition, hygiene .... A
-, B. Access to Anganwadi Centre health servicesB
-
C. Knowledge about life skills .........................C
- D. Platform to discuss various issues about life and
the future ..................................................... D
-

E. Peer/ Group support .................................... E
-/
- G. Other (specify) ........................................... G
- ( )_____________________
Q24 CAGED: CHECKLIST FOR ASSESSMENT OF GENDER DISADVANTAGE1
Instructions- Now I am going to ask you a series of questions that ask you about your experience of
being a girl. There is no right or wrong answer. Kindly think about your life as a girl living within a
society and family and answer the questions in Yes or No.
-


1. Does it upset you that male members (Father, brothers) in
your family are given much more attention (more and better food, better sleeping arrangements, more pocket
money) than female members (sister, yourself, mother)?
- /
/ /
? ,
, ?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
2. Does it upset you that male members in your family are
given more opportunities (studying, working) than female
members (sister, yourself, mother)?
- /
/ /
?
1Chandra PS, Satyanarayana V, CAGED: Checklist for Assessment of Gender Disadvantage, 2013 – National Institute of Mental Health and
Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, 2013.
fear, tension and sadness when faced with gender
discrimination. Have you often experienced these emotions
when you have been faced with gender discrimination?
-- /
/ / //
/ /

?
Yes – ............................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
4. When faced with difficult situations related to being a
woman, do you at times tend to think that ending your life
may be the only solution?
-
, -
?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
5. Have you ever tried to harm yourself when you were unable
to manage such difficult situations?
- /
/
?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
6. Are financial difficulties a hindrance for you to achieve
your goals in life because you are a woman (ex: education,
career, leisure)?
-
,

?
Yes – ................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
7. Girls of your age may face harassment or teasing by
boys/men. Have you experienced such harassment/teasing
that has been distressful?
- /
- / /
?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
8. Do you feel helpless when being teased/ harassed by
boys/men? Would you feel helpless if you were teased/ harassed by
boys/men?
-
/ / ? -

?
22
9. Does the lack of space or privacy for yourself related to
being a woman within your house or neighbourhood bother
you?
-
,
?
your family members because you are a girl?
- /
/ /
?
11. Have you experienced physical violence like being beaten,
pushed or hurt physically in any other way by your family members? -
,
?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
12. Have you been witness to ongoing domestic violence in
your family (ex: father beating mother)?
-

-/ / / /
- ?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
have caused you distress?
- /

/?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
14. Do you think that your family does not consider your
opinion or likes and dislikes even in matters related to you?
-
-/ / -
?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
15. Do you often feel that your freedom is curtailed and that
you are not free to pursue your interests because of your
gender?
-
/
?
Yes – .................................................. 1
No – ................................................. 0
Scoring
Yes=1, No=0 | Total Score: Add all the items (range 0-15)
23
Subscales:
• Gender Discrimination = Add item number – 1,10,14
• Violence/ Sexual harassment = Add item number – 7,8,9,10,12,13
• Emotional distress = Add item number – 3,4,5
Q25 BRS: BRIEF RESILIENCE SCALE (BRS)2
Instructions – Now I will talk to you about your thoughts on your life and how capable/ strong you believe
you are. I will give a situation/ statement and you will have to tell me how true it is for you. You can tell me if
you Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. If you care neutral to the statement or have nothing
to say to it, you can tell me that as well.
-
, ,
,
Please respond to each item by
marking one box per row
Strongly
Disagree

times.
-
,
(

)
1
2
3
4
5
stressful events.

-



5
4
3
2
1
2Smith, B. W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: assessing
the ability to bounce back. International journal of behavioral medicine, 15(3), 194-200.
24
3. It does not take me long to recover from a
stressful event.

1
2
3
4
5
4. It is hard for me to snap back when
something bad happens.
- ,
/





with a little trouble.
-

1
2
3
4
5
6. I tend to take a long time to get over set-
backs in my life.
-


5
4
3
2
1
Scoring: Add the responses varying from 1-5 for all six items giving a range from 6-30. Divide the total sum
by the total number of questions answered.
Score: ___________ item average / 6
Q26 KESSLER PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS SCALE (K-10)3
Instructions – Now I will talk to you about your psychological wellbeing and your experiences in the previous
month. I will ask you some statements and you will have to tell me the number of times you experienced that
particular thing. If you experienced it many times you can give a higher number to it and in case you
experienced it sometimes or never you can give a lower number to it. For example, if you experienced it all
the time you can give 5, most of time – 4, some of the time – 3, a little of the time – 2 and if you never
experienced it in the past month, you can give 1 as well. You can talk to me without any fear or hesitation. No
one else can hear us on the phone unless it is on speaker mode, so do not worry.
3Kessler RC, Barker PR, Colpe LJ, Epstein JF, Gfroerer JC, Hiripi E, et al. Screening for serious mental illness in the general population.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003 Feb; 60(2): 184-9
25
-

,
- , 5 ,
4, - 3, 2, 1
Please tick the answer that is correct for the respondent: All the time
5
1.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel tired out for no good reason?
-
?

,
, ?
2.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel nervous?
-
?

,
?
If 1,
Skip
to
Q4
3.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down?
-

?
4.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel hopeless?
- /
?
5.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel restless or fidgety?
-
/ / / / -
?


If 1,
Skip
to
Q7
26
6.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel so restless that you could not sit still?
-
/ / / / -

7.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel depressed?
()
?

?
8.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel that everything was an effort?
-
?

?
9.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel so sad that nothing could cheer you up?
-

?
10.
In the past 1 months, about how often did you feel worthless?
-
/ /
?
Scoring Instructions: Each item is scored from one ‘none of the time’ to five ‘all of the time’. Scores of the
10 items are then summed, yielding a minimum score of 10 and a maximum score of 50. Low scores indicate
low levels of psychological distress and high scores indicate high levels of psychological distress.
Interpretation of Scores:
K10 Score: Likelihood of having a mental disorder (psychological distress)
• 10-19 Likely to be well
• 20-24 Likely to have a mild disorder
• 25-29 Likely to have a moderate disorder
• 30-50 Likely to have a severe disorder
CLOSING
27
Read: We have now reached the end of the interview. Thank you so very much for participating and for you
time. I know some of the things we have discussed today might have been embarrassing or made you feel
uncomfortable. The information you have used will be very helpful in helping us to design activities and
health services for young people in your community. Is there anything else you would like to tell me, or do
you have any questions for me?
-
,

,
?
1. Checklist For Assessment Of Gender Disadvantage (CAGED)
2. Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)
3. Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10)
(next page)
Developed by:
Bangalore-560029, India
CAGED - Checklist for Assessment of GEnder Disadvantage
Instructions- Given below is a list of questions that ask about your experience of being a
woman. There is no right or wrong answer. Please think of your life as a woman living within a
society and family and answer the questions as Yes or No.
Questions:
1. Does it upset you that male members (father, brothers) in your family are given much
more attention (more and better food, better sleeping arrangements, more pocket money)?
Yes No
2. Does it upset you that male members in your family are given more opportunities
(studying, working..) than female members (sister, yourself, mother)?
Yes No
3. Young women may experience emotions such as anger, fear, tension and sadness when
faced with gender discrimination. Have you often experienced these emotions when you
have been faced with gender discrimination?
Yes No
4. When faced with difficult situations related to being a woman, do you at times tend to
think that ending your life may be the only solution?
Yes No
5. Have you ever tried to harm yourself when you were unable to manage such difficult
situations?
Yes No
6. Are financial difficulties a hindrance for you to achieve your goals in life because you are
a woman (ex: education, career, leisure…)?
Yes No
7. Girls of your age may face harassment or teasing by boys/men. Have you experienced
such harassment/teasing that has been distressful?
Yes No
8. Do you feel helpless when being teased/ harassed by boys/men?
Yes No
9. Does the lack of space or privacy for yourself related to being a woman within your house
or neighborhood bother you?
you are a girl?
Yes No
11. Have you experienced physical violence like being beaten, pushed or hurt physically in
any other way by your family members?
Yes No
12. Have you been witness to ongoing domestic violence in your family (ex: father beating
mother)?
Yes No
13. Have you ever experienced unwanted sexual advances that have caused you distress?
Yes No
14. Do you think that your family does not consider your opinion or likes and dislikes even in
matters related to you?
Yes No
15. Do you often feel that your freedom is curtailed and that you are not free to pursue your
interests because of your gender?
Yes No
Subscales:
Gender Discrimination = Add item number - 1, 10, 14
Violence/Sexual harassment = Add item number - 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13
Emotional distress= Add item number 3, 4,5
Copyright - The tool can be freely used and translated. The source should be acknowledged
for citing the tool- Chandra PS and Satyanarayana V, 2013.
Reference- Satyanarayana, V. A., Chandra, P. S., Sharma, M. K., Sowmya, H. R., & Kandavel,
T. (2016). Three sides of a triangle: gender disadvantage, resilience and psychological distress
in a sample of adolescent girls from India. International journal of Culture and Mental
Health, 9(4), 364-372.
Brief Resilience Scale (BRS)
Please respond to each item by marking one box per row
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
Agree BRS
1 I tend to bounce back quickly after hard times
1
2
3
4
5
I have a hard time making it through stressful events.
5
4
3
2
1
BRS 3
It does not take me long to recover from a stressful event.
1
2
3
4
5
BRS 4
It is hard for me to snap back when something bad happens.
5
4
3
2
1
1
2
3
4
5
BRS 6
I tend to take a long time to get over set-backs in my life.
5
4
3
2
1
Scoring: Add the responses varying from 1-5 for all six items giving a range from 6-30. Divide the total sum by the total number of questions answered. My score: ______ item average / 6 Smith, B. W., Dalen, J., Wiggins, K., Tooley, E., Christopher, P., & Bernard, J. (2008). The brief resilience scale: assessing the ability to bounce back. International journal of behavioral medicine, 15(3), 194-200.
Page 1
Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)
Source: Kessler RC, Barker PR, Colpe LJ, Epstein JF, Gfroerer JC, Hiripi E, et al. Screening for serious mental illness in the general population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003 Feb;60(2):184-9.
The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) [1] is a simple measure of psychological distress. The K10 scale involves 10 questions about emotional states each with a five-level response scale. The measure can be used as a brief screen to identify levels of distress. The tool can be given to patients to complete, or alternatively the questions can be read to the patient by the practitioner.
In the context of injury management, the measure can be provided to the patient where recovery is not proceeding as anticipated (for instance, between weeks four and six), and may highlight the need for more regular review, or referral to a specialist health provider such as a psychologist.
Questions three and six do not need to be asked if the response to the preceding question was ‘none of the time’. In such cases questions three and six should receive an automatic score of one.
Scoring instructions Each item is scored from one ‘none of the time’ to five ‘all of the time’. Scores of the 10 items are then summed, yielding a minimum score of 10 and a maximum score of 50. Low scores indicate low levels of psychological distress and high scores indicate high levels of psychological distress.
Interpretation of scores The 2001 Victorian Population Health Survey [2] adopted a set of cut-off scores that may be used as a guide for screening for psychological distress. These are outlined below:
K10 Score: Likelihood of having a mental disorder (psychological distress)
10 - 19 Likely to be well
20 - 24 Likely to have a mild disorder
25 - 29 Likely to have a moderate disorder
30 - 50 Likely to have a severe disorder
The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)
Page 2
Please tick the answer that is correct for you:
All of the time
A little of the time (score 2)
None of the time (score 1)
1. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel tired out for no good reason?
2. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel nervous?
3. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel so nervous that nothing could calm you down?
4. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel hopeless?
5. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel restless or fidgety?
6. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel so restless you could not sit still?
7. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel depressed?
8. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel that everything was an effort?
9. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel so sad that nothing could cheer you up?
10. In the past 4 weeks, about how often did you feel worthless?
The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)
Page 3
References 1. Kessler RC, Barker PR, Colpe LJ, Epstein JF, Gfroerer JC, Hiripi E, et al. Screening for serious mental
illness in the general population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003 Feb;60(2):184-9.
2. Victorian Population Health Survey. Melbourne: Department of Human Services, Victoria; 2001.
Background
Objective
Methodology
Design
Annexure 2: Standard assessment tools
The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) [1] is a simple measure of psychological distress. The K10 scale involves 10 questions about emotional states each with a five-level response scale. The measure can be used as a brief screen to identify levels of distress. The tool can be given to patients to complete, or alternatively the questions can be read to the patient by the practitioner.
In the context of injury management, the measure can be provided to the patient where recovery is not proceeding as anticipated (for instance, between weeks four and six), and may highlight the need for more regular review, or referral to a specialist health provider such as a psychologist.
Questions three and six do not need to be asked if the response to the preceding question was ‘none of the time’. In such cases questions three and six should receive an automatic score of one.
Scoring instructions
Each item is scored from one ‘none of the time’ to five ‘all of the time’. Scores of the 10 items are then summed, yielding a minimum score of 10 and a maximum score of 50. Low scores indicate low levels of psychological distress and high scores indicate high levels of psychological distress.
Interpretation of scores
References