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