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Background <p>Mental health is a global public good essential for human development. Yet there exist vast inequities in the distribution of and access to mental health resources within and between countries. To address these inequities, a non-governmental organization in Ghana, Psych Corps Ghana (PCG), leveraged the country’s National Service program to train psychology graduates to provide psychological first-aid. The objective of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the experiences of different stakeholders involved in PCG’s task-sharing intervention.</p> Methods <p>We conducted a qualitative study in Accra, Ghana. Convenience sampling was used to recruit a diverse sample of adults involved with the intervention: Psych Corps members (recent psychology graduates who delivered the intervention during their National Service placement), mental health professionals (supervisors and co-workers of Psych Corps members), community members, and PCG leadership. Data were collected through in-person and virtual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Reflexive thematic analysis was used.</p> Results <p>Forty individuals were interviewed (20 Psych Corps members, 10 mental health professionals, 5 community members, 5 PCG leaders). Most were female (67.5%), living/working in the Greater Accra region (80%), and had completed secondary school (97.5%). Participants had an overwhelmingly positive perception of the intervention, highlighting its usefulness in supporting clinicians and addressing the dearth of mental health professionals. They also emphasized its role in increasing community awareness of mental health services and helping to reduce mental health stigma. Important weaknesses were the lack of clarity on the specific tasks Psych Corps members were equipped to engage in and a lack of continued supervision and support from PCG leadership during their placements. Recommendations for improvement included (1) better integration into Ghana’s mental healthcare system (2), strengthening communication between PCG leadership and the mental health professionals with whom Psych Corps members worked during their placements, and (3) ensuring structured, consistent support of Psych Corps members during their placement.</p> Conclusions <p>PCG’s task-sharing intervention leverages an existing platform to provide an innovative solution to the shortage of mental health professionals in Ghana. Further evidence on its implementation and effectiveness are needed to inform its potential scale-up to address Ghana’s mental healthcare needs.</p>

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Qualitative evaluation of the perceived impacts of a task-sharing mental health intervention

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月6日

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  • Marilyn N. Ahun,
  • Chanelle N. Lawson-Lartego,
  • Jesse Blakor,
  • Nutifafa E. Y. Dey,
  • Angela L. Ofori-Atta

摘要

Background

Mental health is a global public good essential for human development. Yet there exist vast inequities in the distribution of and access to mental health resources within and between countries. To address these inequities, a non-governmental organization in Ghana, Psych Corps Ghana (PCG), leveraged the country’s National Service program to train psychology graduates to provide psychological first-aid. The objective of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the experiences of different stakeholders involved in PCG’s task-sharing intervention.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative study in Accra, Ghana. Convenience sampling was used to recruit a diverse sample of adults involved with the intervention: Psych Corps members (recent psychology graduates who delivered the intervention during their National Service placement), mental health professionals (supervisors and co-workers of Psych Corps members), community members, and PCG leadership. Data were collected through in-person and virtual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Reflexive thematic analysis was used.

Results

Forty individuals were interviewed (20 Psych Corps members, 10 mental health professionals, 5 community members, 5 PCG leaders). Most were female (67.5%), living/working in the Greater Accra region (80%), and had completed secondary school (97.5%). Participants had an overwhelmingly positive perception of the intervention, highlighting its usefulness in supporting clinicians and addressing the dearth of mental health professionals. They also emphasized its role in increasing community awareness of mental health services and helping to reduce mental health stigma. Important weaknesses were the lack of clarity on the specific tasks Psych Corps members were equipped to engage in and a lack of continued supervision and support from PCG leadership during their placements. Recommendations for improvement included (1) better integration into Ghana’s mental healthcare system (2), strengthening communication between PCG leadership and the mental health professionals with whom Psych Corps members worked during their placements, and (3) ensuring structured, consistent support of Psych Corps members during their placement.

Conclusions

PCG’s task-sharing intervention leverages an existing platform to provide an innovative solution to the shortage of mental health professionals in Ghana. Further evidence on its implementation and effectiveness are needed to inform its potential scale-up to address Ghana’s mental healthcare needs.