Digital therapy offers brief, short-term help for youth at risk

Substance use and mental health symptoms frequently co-occur among youth in Nairobi's informal settlements, yet scalable interventions remain limited. This pilot study evaluated the Youth Empowerment Digital Intervention (YEDI), a brief group cognitive-behavioral therapy model supported by mobile reinforcement. A clustered-community randomized pilot study enrolled 94 adolescents and young adults aged 15-24 years (treatment = 49; control = 45). The intervention group received seven weekly 1-hour manualized group cognitive-behavioral therapy sessions supplemented by mobile skill reinforcement, while control participants received standard health materials. Alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco use risk, along with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months using linear mixed-effects models. YEDI demonstrated promising short-term reductions in alcohol risk, cannabis risk, and depressive symptoms at 3 months, although these differences were not sustained at 6 months. Tobacco risk did not differ between groups, and stress showed counterintuitive relative effects due to reductions in the control group. Delivering YEDI in informal settlements is feasible and provides a proof of concept for brief, early mental health support. Preliminary findings indicate that brief, skill-based models alone cannot offset severe structural stressors. Multi-level interventions integrating behavioral strategies with ongoing community support are required. .