The impact of a women-led community center on social cohesion in Tripoli, North Lebanon: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Background Social cohesion is essential to sustainable peace. Despite the global rise of armed conflict, evidence on effective approaches to building social cohesion in conflict-affected contexts is limited. This study evaluates the activities of a women-led community center on social cohesion among Lebanese and Syrian women in Lebanon, a country characterized by multiple displacement crises and deep sectarian divides.

Following an extensive recruitment drive in neighborhoods surrounding the community center, 206 women were randomized into an intervention and control group. The intervention group was invited to participate in seven sessions of training and structured dialogue facilitated by women volunteers at the center. A total of 177 women across the two groups completed both a baseline and endline survey capturing dimensions of social cohesion including trust, belonging and friendship networks, as well as civic engagement, wellbeing and self-efficacy. We present descriptive analysis of participants’ baseline characteristics, intervention take-up and social cohesion measures. We then conduct an intent-to-treat analysis of the intervention’s impact using regression models.

Among women assigned to the intervention group, 70 (76.1%) attended any of the sessions. The intervention had a positive effect on participants’ sense of belonging, measured by the social relationship scale, and civic engagement attitudes and behaviors. We did not find effects on generalized trust or the other outcome measures.

This pilot randomized trial demonstrates the potential of community centers to foster aspects of social cohesion in fragile settings as well as the limitations of short, low-intensity contact interventions. The results emphasize the need for further investment in and evaluation of sustained, contextually adapted approaches. The study also shows that randomized evaluations of community-based initiatives are feasible in conflict-affected contexts and can generate valuable evidence to inform peacebuilding efforts. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Clinical Trial The RCT is not a clinical trial. The field of research is the behavioral and social sciences, so the trial was registered in the American Economics Association RCT registry (ID: AEARCTR-0013423). Funding Statement Yes Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Not Applicable The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the American University of Beirut Institutional Review Board (Protocol SBS-2023-0360). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Not Applicable I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Not Applicable I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Not Applicable Data Availability All relevant data for reproducing study outcomes are provided within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. The data required to reproduce Table 1 are not provided in full because the combination of sociodemographic variables presented in the table could potentially allow for the identification of study participants.