Common understandings of women's mental illness in Ghana: Results from a qualitative study
Common understandings of women's mental illness in Ghana: Results from a qualitative study
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DOI：
10.3109/09540261.2010.536150
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发表时间：
2010-01-01
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
Flisher, Alan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Ofori-Atta, Angela;Cooper, Sara;Flisher, Alan
尽管妇女中抑郁症和焦虑症的发病率很高，但妇女的心理健康是一个被忽视的领域，特别是在非洲。这项研究旨在探讨主要利益攸关方认为加纳妇女精神疾病的主要原因是什么。采用定性方法，与来自加纳10个地区中5个地区的120个主要利益攸关方进行了81次半结构化访谈和7次重点小组讨论。分析是采用扎根理论方法进行的。受访者将妇女的精神疾病归因于多种原因。其中包括妇女是弱势性别、荷尔蒙、巫术、通奸、虐待和贫穷。歧视可分为三大类：妇女固有的脆弱性、巫术和性别劣势。妇女在社会中的从属地位可能是造成其精神痛苦的原因，这一点需要得到承认和解决。这项研究的结果为确定政策如何更好地认识、适应和解决加纳和其他低收入非洲国家妇女的心理健康需求提供了机会。
Despite the high rates of depression and anxiety disorders amongst women, the mental health of women is a neglected area, particularly in Africa. This study sought to explore what key stakeholders perceive as the main causes of mental illness in women in Ghana. Using qualitative methods, 81 semi-structured interviews and seven focus group discussions were conducted with 120 key stakeholders drawn from 5 of the 10 regions in Ghana. The analysis was undertaken using a grounded theory approach. Respondents attributed mental illness in women to a number of causes. These included women being the weaker sex, hormones, witchcraft, adultery, abuse and poverty. Explanations could be clustered under three broad categories: women's inherent vulnerability, witchcraft, and gender disadvantage. The way in which women's subordinate position within society may underpin their mental distress needs to be recognized and addressed. The results from this study offer opportunities to identify how policy can better recognize, accommodate and address the mental health needs of women in Ghana and other low-income African countries.