Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 3 of 3
Liberian refugee women: a qualitative study of their participation in planning camp programmes
- Author:
- KREITZER Linda
- Journal article citation:
- International Social Work, 45(1), January 2002, pp.45-58.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Social work is re-evaluation its role in regard to the international areas of global interdependence, in particular with respect to refugee situations. A significant contribution to refugee studies is research concerning refugee issues. This qualitative study highlights the experiences of Liberian refugee women in planning programmes in Ghana. Findings show that individual issues (trauma, lack of encouragement, basic needs and gender issues) and organisational issues (dependency, mismanagement of organisations, communication and power or control) were factors that affected women's participation in planning programmes.
Mental health and health risk behaviours of homeless adolescents and youth: a mixed methods study
- Authors:
- ASANTE Kwaku Oppong, MEYER-WEITZ Anna, PETERSEN Inge
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Youth Care Forum, 45(3), 2016, pp.433-449.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Background: Homeless youth, as a vulnerable population are susceptible to various mental and health risk behaviours. However, less is known of the mental health status of these homeless youth and its role in risky sexual behaviours; neither do we understand the reasons homeless youth give for their engagement in various health risk behaviour. Objective: The main purpose of this study was in three fold: (1) to explore the reasons for homeless youth engagement in health risk behaviours; (2) to determine the relationship between substance use and sexual risks behaviours and (3) to determine the factors related to their psychological functioning. Method: An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was used to collect data from 227 homeless youth recruited from Accra, Ghana. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the transcripts of 16 homeless youth who revealed their experiences of how they live their life on the street. Results: Of the 227 participants in the study, 199 (87.6 %) exhibited moderate to severe psychological problems. Violent behaviour, suicidal ideation and stigma (both self and social stigma) significantly predicted overall psychological functioning. Substance use among street youth particularly alcohol use, marijuana and cigarette smoking were independently associated with having unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners and engagement in survival sex. Engagements in risky behaviours were primary focused on survival strategies, and the emotional impact of homelessness was evidenced in their feelings of exclusion due to social stigma and feelings of despondency and depression. Conclusion: The findings in this study calls for a more holistic interventions to help improve the health and wellbeing of street-connected youth. Such interventions should address concurrent substance use and sexual risk behaviours, and improved access to psychological health services. (Publisher abstract)
It also takes a village: developing community mental health
- Author:
- ROSENBERG David
- Journal article citation:
- International Social Work, 45(3), July 2002, pp.305-314.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The community mental health philosophy which guides the development of the limited resources available in Africa, is one that offers us in the developed world much to consider, as we continue to struggle with issues of community integration for those experiencing psychiatric illness. Interviews with practitioners and policy-makers in Ghana, West Africa, as well as a review of local projects and publications, comprise an attempt to describe and contrast our various approaches.