Building resilience through psychological intervention

Author: Michelle Escobar Carías (Business School, Newcastle University)Victoria Baranov (Department of Economics, University of Melbourne)Sonia Bhalotra (Department of Economics, University of Warwick)Pietro Biroli (Department of Economics, University of Bologna)Joanna Maselko (Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina)
Posted: 27 August 2026

Abstract

Does past treatment for depression create resilience to future shocks? We study a randomized CBT-based intervention for prenatally depressed mothers in Pakistan and exploit variation in COVID-19 restriction stringency six years after childbirth. Treated women were protected against restriction-induced anxiety, depression, comorbidity, and functional impairment. Protection extended to spousal relationships, offsetting restriction-driven declines in relationship quality and increases in marital conflict. This resilience operates through psychological channels: the intervention builds locus of control and self-efficacy, strengthens family and partner support, and reduces how overwhelmed women feel when shocks arrive. The resulting psychological capital has returns well beyond the treated condition.
JEL codes: G18, I12, J12, J16
Keywords: Resilience, mental health, functioning, spousal conflict, restrictions