Exploring Professional and Carer Stakeholder Conceptualizations of Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Malawi Using a Contextual Co-Design Methodology: The Interplay of Pathology, the Supernatural, and a Pathway to Healing

IF 2.4 3区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology Pub Date : 2024-08-12 DOI:10.1177/00220221241249461

Khama Chibwana, Mark Hoelterhoff, Paul Kawale, Cristóbal Guerra, Charles Marley, Action Amos, Paul Mekani, Susannah Johnston, Alinafe Chibwana, Emily P. Taylor, Clara Calia, Corinne Reid

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In Malawi, there is a high prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents. However, access to specialized care is scarce due to a lack of public policies, resources, and cultural factors. In this context, the aim of this research is to understand how child and adolescent mental health is conceptualized by key stakeholders in Malawi. The participants were 117 stakeholders (59 female and 58 male) involved with children’s mental health from different roles. They participated in workshops, focus groups, and open interviews. The data were processed following the steps of thematic analysis. The results show agreement between the different stakeholders in conceptualizations of child and adolescent mental health in Malawi, where symptoms and signs are not necessarily related to the Western vision, as well as the interaction between natural and supernatural sources in the genesis of mental disorders. Likewise, a pattern of help-seeking is described in which traditional healers stand out over hospitals. Finally, the results allow us to highlight the suggestions made by practitioners, policymakers, community leaders, and academics to improve access to and provision of mental health for children and adolescents in Malawi.

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利用情境共同设计方法探索马拉维专业人员和照护者利益相关者对儿童和青少年心理健康的概念：病理学、超自然现象和治疗途径的相互作用

在马拉维，儿童和青少年精神障碍的发病率很高。然而，由于缺乏公共政策、资源和文化因素，获得专业护理的机会很少。在这种情况下，本研究旨在了解马拉维的主要利益相关者是如何看待儿童和青少年心理健康问题的。117 名利益相关者（59 名女性和 58 名男性）以不同的角色参与了儿童心理健康研究。他们参加了研讨会、焦点小组和公开访谈。数据按照专题分析的步骤进行了处理。结果表明，不同的利益相关者在马拉维儿童和青少年心理健康的概念上达成了一致，即症状和体征并不一定与西方的观点相关，而且在精神障碍的成因上，自然和超自然的因素之间存在相互作用。同样，研究还描述了一种求助模式，在这种模式中，传统医治者比医院更受青睐。最后，研究结果使我们能够强调从业人员、政策制定者、社区领袖和学术界提出的建议，以改善马拉维儿童和青少年获得心理健康的机会，并为他们提供心理健康服务。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

6.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology publishes papers that focus on the interrelationships between culture and psychological processes. Submitted manuscripts may report results from either cross-cultural comparative research or results from other types of research concerning the ways in which culture (and related concepts such as ethnicity) affect the thinking and behavior of individuals as well as how individual thought and behavior define and reflect aspects of culture. Review papers and innovative reformulations of cross-cultural theory will also be considered. Studies reporting data from within a single nation should focus on cross-cultural perspective. Empirical studies must be described in sufficient detail to be potentially replicable.