The Role Of Self-Help Groups in the Recovery and Social Inclusion of Persons with Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Greater Accra, Ghana.

Abstract

The contemporary mental health practice emphasizes the community-based approach which emphasizes Informal services, such as those provided by self-help groups (SHGs). Despite the greater need and prospects of SHGs, the mental health system in Ghana least recognizes and support them to serve as a complement to professional services. Moreover, there are very few research on SHGs in Ghana. Guided by the empowerment theory, I conducted this study to examine the contributions and effectiveness of SHGs in facilitating recovery and social inclusion of persons with neuropsychiatric disorders in Greater Accra, Ghana. The concurrent-embedded mixed methods was used to guide this study. Specifically, the static-group comparison design was used for the quantitative study, and descriptive phenomenology was used for the qualitative study. A total of 162 persons participated in the quantitative study, comprising 77 SHG members and 85 non-SHG members. The qualitative participants were 13. It was found that SHGs facilitate the recovery and social inclusion of members through the provision of psychosocial support. This plays out in three pathways namely social support, promotes social integration, and promotes proper management of the disorder. SHG members recover better than non-SHG members [t(160) = 3.02, p <.005]. More so, SHG members are included in society better than non-SHG members [t(158) = 3.46, p <.001]. The magnitude of the differences in recovery and social inclusion for the two groups was moderate (d = .5). SHGs make moderate positive impact on the recovery and social inclusion of members with neuropsychiatric disorders. Stakeholders in mental health are encouraged to establish and support SHGs to promote recovery and social inclusion of persons with neuropsychiatric disorders in Ghana, especially in urban places.