Context matters: Sociocultural considerations in the design and implementation of community-based positive psychology interventions in sub-Saharan Africa
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Culture & Psychology
Abstract
Abstract
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.
Description
Research
Keywords
Culture and mental health, positive psychology interventions, intervention design and evaluation, sociocultural factors, African context, Ghana