'All in good faith?' An ethno-historical analysis of local faith actors' involvement in the delivery of mental health interventions in northern Uganda.

Journal: Transcultural psychiatry

Volume: 60

Issue: 3

Year of Publication: 2023

Affiliated Institutions:  Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Abstract summary 

Faith actors have become increasingly significant in the field of global mental health, through their inclusion in the delivery of psychosocial support in humanitarian settings. This inclusion remains empirically underexplored. We explore historical and contemporary activities of local faith actors in responding to mental disquiet in northern Uganda. Given pre-existing roles, we question what it means when humanitarians draw on faith actors to deliver mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in conflict-affected settings. We argue for a recognition of faith actors as agents operating within a therapeutic marketplace, which on occasion links suffering to social inequality and exclusion. We show, moreover, that the formal inclusion of Christian actors within MHPSS may not equate to the enforcement of rights-based values at the core of international ideas of protection.

Authors & Co-authors:  Storer Elizabeth E Torre Costanza C

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  Abramowitz S., Kleinman A. (2008). Humanitarian intervention and cultural translation: A review of the IASC guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings. Intervention, 6(3), 219–227. 10.1097/WTF.0b013e32831c8bfb
Authors :  2
Identifiers
Doi : 10.1177/13634615221149349
SSN : 1461-7471
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Humans
Other Terms
humanitarianism;local faith actors;mental health;northern Uganda;refugees
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Country of Study
Uganda
Publication Country
England