A look back, a path forward: Revisiting the mental health and well-being research and practice models and priorities in sub-Saharan Africa

Appiah, Richard

doi:10.1016/j.newideapsych.2022.100931

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Empirical evidence of the dual-continuum model highlights the characteristics of the subclinical groups who could still be at high risk and could benefit from mental health promotion interventions ( Vella-Brodrick, 2013 ; Appiah et al, 2020a , b ). An adoption of the dual-continua model and research and practise scope could instigate efforts and strategies to identify those who have low well-being and low pathology, but are below the threshold mark for psychopathology ( Magalhães and Calheiros, 2017 ; Appiah, 2022 ). Bhugra et al (2022) places the advocacy responsibility for the prevention of mental illness and its stigma, and the promotion of mental health on the shoulders of practitioners.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Keyes ( Keyes and Lopez, 2002 ; Keyes, 2005 , 2007 , 2014 ) and others (e.g., Rose, 1981 ; Seligman, 2002 ; Huppert, 2005 ) have observed that although a focus on psychopathology is important, the exclusive weightage on deficits may have adverse implications for public mental health. To the extent that the absence or amelioration of symptoms of mental disorders does not indicate gains in positive mental health ( Keyes and Lopez, 2002 ), an exclusive focus on diagnosing and treating mental disorders is unhelpful in preventing mental disorders and promoting public mental health, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where the users of mental healthcare suffer stigma ( Spittel et al, 2019 ; Appiah, 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measuring Positive Mental Health and Depression in Africa: A Variable-Based and Person-Centred Analysis of the Dual-Continua Model

2022

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The dual-continua model of mental health provides a contemporary framework for conceptualising and operationalising mental health. According to this model, mental health is distinct from but related to mental illness, and not the opposite or merely the absence of psychopathology symptoms. To examine the validity of the dual-continua model, previous studies have either applied variable-based analysis such as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), or used predetermined cut-off points for subgroup division. The present study extends this contribution by subjecting data from an African sample to both CFA and latent class analysis (LCA) to test the dual-continua model in Africa. We applied CFA separately for the Mental Health Continuum—Short Form (MHC-SF) and Patient Health Questionnaire—9 (PHQ-9); and LCA on combined item responses. College students (N = 892; average age = 22.74, SD = 4.92; female = 58%) from Ghana (n = 309), Kenya (n = 262), Mozambique (n = 232), and South Africa (n = 89) completed the MHC-SF and PHQ-9. With minor modifications to the measurement models, the CFA results of this study confirm the three-factor structure of the MHC-SF, and a unidimensional solution for the PHQ-9. LCA results show the presence of three distinct latent classes: languishing with moderate endorsement of depressive symptoms (25.9%), flourishing with low endorsement of depressive symptoms (63.7%), and moderate mental health with high endorsement of depressive symptoms (10.4%). These findings further contribute to affirming the evidence for the dual-continua model of mental health, with implications for the assessment of mental health, to inform policy, practise, and future research in community and clinical settings in Africa.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Positive Mental Health and Depression in Africa: A Variable-Based and Person-Centred Analysis of the Dual-Continua Model

2022

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“…Need for context-appropriate positive interventions. There is growing interest and efforts to contextualize positive interventions and psychology, more broadly, in the African region (Appiah, 2022;Appiah et al, 2021a;Oppong, 2020;Ratele, 2018). These efforts emphasize the need for researchers and practitioners to explore, generate, and evaluate context-appropriate positive interventions for both clinical and non-clinical population groups, particularly for people living in rural, low-income settings in sub-Saharan Africa (Appiah et al, 2021b).…”

Section: Way Forward: Generation Engagements and Theoretical And Meth...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Until recently (cf. third wave), much of the science and practice of positive psychology were heavily weighted on pure empiricism—in its worldviews, conceptualizations, (quantitative) methodological approach to research, and interpretation of phenomena (Appiah, 2022; Lomas et al, 2021; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2014). Although important and laudatory, empirical methods, with its metatheoretical assumptions, disregarded the potential role and influence of cultural contexts, ethics, and the dynamism of humanity on human experiences and functioning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Context matters: Sociocultural considerations in the design and implementation of community-based positive psychology interventions in sub-Saharan Africa

Appiah

2022

Culture & Psychology

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Scholars conducting cross-cultural research in mental health often import intervention programs found to be efficacious in one social context (e.g., Western) and directly implement them in other contexts (e.g., African and Asian) without recourse to the sociocultural disparities between the target populations and the theoretical foundations of the constructs and principles underpinning the intervention programs. Such efforts mistakenly assume that positive psychology interventions (PPIs), most of which were developed from Western perspectives and assumed individualistic cultural orientation and value systems, operate equally across all contexts. Drawing on the extant literature and on insights from designing, implementing, and evaluating group-based (mental) health behavior change intervention programs across several communities in Ghana, we discuss some sociocultural, theoretical, and methodological issues that can significantly constrain the design, uptake, and effectiveness of PPIs in the rural, low literate, socioeconomically disadvantaged, highly collectivistic context of Ghana, and sub-Saharan Africa more generally. In all illustrations, we offer suggestions to guide the design and implementation processes to ensure culturally appropriate, highly acceptable, and potentially effective intervention programs. We argue that PPIs can be potentially fructuous in the sub-region when adapted to, or embedded in, the cultural values of the target population and tailored to the needs, capacities, and circumstances of participants.

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Proverbial positive psychology: can we leverage African ancient wisdom to promote flourishing?

Appiah

2023

The Journal of Positive Psychology

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A look back, a path forward: Revisiting the mental health and well-being research and practice models and priorities in sub-Saharan Africa

Cited by 6 publications

References 79 publications

Measuring Positive Mental Health and Depression in Africa: A Variable-Based and Person-Centred Analysis of the Dual-Continua Model

Measuring Positive Mental Health and Depression in Africa: A Variable-Based and Person-Centred Analysis of the Dual-Continua Model

Context matters: Sociocultural considerations in the design and implementation of community-based positive psychology interventions in sub-Saharan Africa

Proverbial positive psychology: can we leverage African ancient wisdom to promote flourishing?

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