A systematic review of mental health care access in disadvantaged communities in South Africa
- Authors: Dube, Nkosingiphile Zama
- Date: 2025-04-25
- Subjects: Mental health services South Africa , Rural mental health services South Africa , Social psychiatry South Africa , Healers South Africa , Help-seeking , Systematic reviews (Medical research)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478295 , vital:78174
- Description: Background: Access to mental healthcare in disadvantaged rural communities in South Africa faces numerous challenges, particularly due to cultural beliefs that impact help-seeking behaviours. Systematic reviews provide critical insights into the barriers and facilitators of healthcare access in such contexts. This review aims to evaluate the available literature on mental healthcare access in rural South African communities, with a specific focus on the influence of cultural beliefs on help-seeking behaviours. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, to identify studies published between 2010 and 2023. Studies were included if they examined barriers to mental healthcare access in rural South African settings and involved culturally relevant factors. Screening, selection, and appraisal of studies were carried out using PRISMA guidelines, with data extracted and synthesized through qualitative thematic analysis. Results: A total of 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. Key findings identified barriers such as financial constraints, scarcity of mental health facilities, stigma, long distances to services, language barriers, and cultural beliefs. Cultural practices, such as attributing mental distress to witchcraft or ancestral displeasure, were found to influence perceptions of mental health and discourage professional intervention, with traditional healers and community elders frequently being the preferred resource. Some community members, despite limited knowledge, utilized smartphones for mental health applications, while others relied on traditional practices and community support networks. Conclusion: This review underscores the need for a culturally sensitive, integrated approach to mental healthcare in rural South Africa, blending traditional and modern practices. Recommendations include conducting rural needs assessments, fostering collaboration between mental health practitioners and traditional healers, and enhancing teacher training. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2025
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025-04-25
- Authors: Dube, Nkosingiphile Zama
- Date: 2025-04-25
- Subjects: Mental health services South Africa , Rural mental health services South Africa , Social psychiatry South Africa , Healers South Africa , Help-seeking , Systematic reviews (Medical research)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478295 , vital:78174
- Description: Background: Access to mental healthcare in disadvantaged rural communities in South Africa faces numerous challenges, particularly due to cultural beliefs that impact help-seeking behaviours. Systematic reviews provide critical insights into the barriers and facilitators of healthcare access in such contexts. This review aims to evaluate the available literature on mental healthcare access in rural South African communities, with a specific focus on the influence of cultural beliefs on help-seeking behaviours. Methods: A systematic search was conducted across databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, to identify studies published between 2010 and 2023. Studies were included if they examined barriers to mental healthcare access in rural South African settings and involved culturally relevant factors. Screening, selection, and appraisal of studies were carried out using PRISMA guidelines, with data extracted and synthesized through qualitative thematic analysis. Results: A total of 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. Key findings identified barriers such as financial constraints, scarcity of mental health facilities, stigma, long distances to services, language barriers, and cultural beliefs. Cultural practices, such as attributing mental distress to witchcraft or ancestral displeasure, were found to influence perceptions of mental health and discourage professional intervention, with traditional healers and community elders frequently being the preferred resource. Some community members, despite limited knowledge, utilized smartphones for mental health applications, while others relied on traditional practices and community support networks. Conclusion: This review underscores the need for a culturally sensitive, integrated approach to mental healthcare in rural South Africa, blending traditional and modern practices. Recommendations include conducting rural needs assessments, fostering collaboration between mental health practitioners and traditional healers, and enhancing teacher training. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2025
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025-04-25
Mental healthcare users’ perceptions of mental health services at a primary healthcare level
- Authors: Zwane, Siphelele
- Date: 2025-04-25
- Subjects: Mental health services South Africa Makhanda , Primary care (Medicine) , Mental health consumer , Mental health education South Africa , Help-seeking
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478372 , vital:78181
- Description: This study interrogates the complexities of mental healthcare in primary healthcare settings, focusing on the experiences and perceptions of participants within the Makana municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, which is characterised by a low socio-economic status. The matter of mental healthcare is of great significance within the context of South Africa, a country grappling with multifaceted challenges. Over the years, mental health has progressed from being marginalised to being more widely acknowledged. While the integration into tertiary and urban healthcare settings has become smoother, primary healthcare has encountered numerous obstacles. This presents a concern, due to the socioeconomic difficulties faced by individuals accessing primary care, which predispose them to mental health issues. Consequently, it is imperative to conduct research focusing on the experiences and perspectives of mental healthcare users within primary healthcare, a relatively underexplored area. The primary objective of the current research study was to contribute to the existing knowledge base, providing valuable insights for relevant stakeholders and policymakers, such as the National Mental Health Policy Framework 2023-2030, to reference when formulating strategies to enhance the integration of mental healthcare into primary healthcare. The study used purposive sampling to interview mental healthcare users within the Makana municipality. Employing a qualitative design facilitated in-depth dialogue between the participants and the researcher, generating valuable data. Thematic Analysis was employed to analyse and present meaningful data, providing an overview of the participants' shared experiences. The study identified four significant themes: the utility of primary health clinic; the urgent need for mental health education; socioeconomics, and mental health, and the complex dynamics of help-seeking behaviours. The findings underscore the pressing need to integrate quality mental health into PHC, emphasising the importance of mental health education, increased resources, task-sharing, and the prioritisation of both physical and mental illnesses. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2025
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025-04-25
- Authors: Zwane, Siphelele
- Date: 2025-04-25
- Subjects: Mental health services South Africa Makhanda , Primary care (Medicine) , Mental health consumer , Mental health education South Africa , Help-seeking
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/478372 , vital:78181
- Description: This study interrogates the complexities of mental healthcare in primary healthcare settings, focusing on the experiences and perceptions of participants within the Makana municipality in the Eastern Cape Province, which is characterised by a low socio-economic status. The matter of mental healthcare is of great significance within the context of South Africa, a country grappling with multifaceted challenges. Over the years, mental health has progressed from being marginalised to being more widely acknowledged. While the integration into tertiary and urban healthcare settings has become smoother, primary healthcare has encountered numerous obstacles. This presents a concern, due to the socioeconomic difficulties faced by individuals accessing primary care, which predispose them to mental health issues. Consequently, it is imperative to conduct research focusing on the experiences and perspectives of mental healthcare users within primary healthcare, a relatively underexplored area. The primary objective of the current research study was to contribute to the existing knowledge base, providing valuable insights for relevant stakeholders and policymakers, such as the National Mental Health Policy Framework 2023-2030, to reference when formulating strategies to enhance the integration of mental healthcare into primary healthcare. The study used purposive sampling to interview mental healthcare users within the Makana municipality. Employing a qualitative design facilitated in-depth dialogue between the participants and the researcher, generating valuable data. Thematic Analysis was employed to analyse and present meaningful data, providing an overview of the participants' shared experiences. The study identified four significant themes: the utility of primary health clinic; the urgent need for mental health education; socioeconomics, and mental health, and the complex dynamics of help-seeking behaviours. The findings underscore the pressing need to integrate quality mental health into PHC, emphasising the importance of mental health education, increased resources, task-sharing, and the prioritisation of both physical and mental illnesses. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2025
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2025-04-25
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »