The African Belief System and the Patient’s Choice of Treatment from Existing Health Models-the Case of Ghana

Abstract

This paper presents a narrative review including a case study of the African Belief System. A strong belief in supernatural powers is deeply rooted in the African culture. In Ghana, there is a spiritual involvement in the treatment of illness and healthcare. The new health model in the African culture therefore can be considered to be the Biopsychosocial(s) model-with the s representing spiritual practice-compared to the biopsychosocial model in Western culture. The case study on dissociative amnesia illustrates that Africans consider spiritual causes of illness when a diagnosis of an illness is very challenging. The causes of mental health conditions in particular seem challenging to Africans, and therefore are easily attributed to spiritual powers. The spiritual belief in African clients should not be rejected but should be used by caregivers to guide and facilitate clients' recovery from illness. The spiritual belief provides hope. Therefore when combined with Western treatment, this belief can quicken illness recovery.

“I Sometimes Ask Patients to Consider Spiritual Care”: Health Literacy and Culture in Mental Health Nursing Practice

“…The findings of the current study are in line with those of previous research in Ghana, which posits that the public often perceived mental illness as the consequence of spiritual punishment or sociocultural malpractices rather than genetic or biological distortion [5,6]. Spirituality and cultural practices are usually used as the explanation for the conditions or ailments that are challenging to deal with or not clearly understood [5,32]. Some of the participants of the current study agreed with this by asserting that favoritism towards cultural meaning and implications of mental illness affected patients’ use of mental health services, and this prohibited them from adopting mental health assessment and treatment.…”

“…Results of this study help to understand why and also how local sociocultural practices tend not to support research into mental illness and care in Ghana, as well as to explain the possible reasons for the limited research in clinical settings among nurses [32]. For the most part, this was attributed to dependence on cultural practices and beliefs in the interpretation and treatment of patients’ health problems.…”

Caring for children with neurodevelopmental disability: Experiences from caretakers and health workers in rural eastern Uganda

“…In the absence of the correct information, caretakers sought support from churches and traditional healers. These findings are in agreement with the African Belief model which describes mental illnesses as challenging to Africans, and hence attributed to spiritual causes [8]. However, to a few caretakers spirituality was one of the coping strategies in caring for children with NDD which is consistent with the family resilience framework [32].…”

“…It is common in the African setting that there is a belief in spiritual cause of illnesses, such as for mental disorders, if the condition is perceived as complicated and not easily understood [8]. In Uganda, where 85% of the population are Christians, 12% Muslims, and 3% a mixture of other religions including traditional beliefs [9], consultations of traditional religious leaders for physical healing is prevalent.…”

Nurses’ Perception of Spiritual Care Practices Among Hospitalized Patients: A Basis for a Program

“…According to Asare and Danquah (2017) in Ghana, the patient promotes spiritual involvement in the treatment of illness and healthcare. Health care providers ought not to reject the spiritual beliefs of Ghanaian patients but should use it to guide and facilitate the recovery of clients from disease.…”