The Social Outcomes of Community-Based Sociotherapy for Refugees in Nakivale Settlement, Uganda

• In Event: Third sector and health

Abstract

People affected by conflict are at risk of losing their lives, homes and relatives. They are likely to develop mental health problems (Charlson et al., 2019). Organisations offer mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to promote well-being and prevent mental health problems.
Community-Based Sociotherapy (CBS) is a psychosocial support intervention offered to refugees in Nakivale settlement, Uganda. This intervention intends to support people in dealing with daily challenges in their lives, which have been disrupted by conflict and trauma. The participants originate from Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Burundi, Rwanda, and DR Congo. Although community-based psychosocial support interventions are regularly implemented in a multitude of contexts, their impact is not well-studied compared to other mental health and psychosocial programmes (Haroz et al., 2020). Studies have moreover principally looked at individual clinical outcomes, while other well-being and social outcomes are to be expected (Ubels et al., 2022). Ultimately, the CBS approach aims to rebuild social dignity and psychosocial well-being in communities.
This study attempts to discover if these and other (possible) outcomes of CBS occur, to better understand how this intervention can bring individual and social change. The findings of this study can contribute to our knowledge of the possible impact of MHPSS, and to possibilities to intervene to reach positive impact and mitigate negative effects. A longitudinal and mixed-method approach is used for this purpose, allowing us to study the longer term impact of the intervention, and the pathways between individual and social factors (such as happiness and social contacts) that, according to the participants, determine their well-being and community life.
Keywords: Mental health and psychosocial support; refugees; community; social change; well-being.

References

Charlson, F., van Ommeren, M., Flaxman, A., Cornett, J., Whiteford, H., & Saxena, S. (2019). New WHO prevalence estimates of mental disorders in conflict settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet, 394(10194), 240-248. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30934-1
Haroz, E. E., Nguyen, A. J., Lee, C. I., Tol, W. A., Fine, S. L., & Bolton, P. (2020). What Works in Psychosocial Programming in Humanitarian Contexts in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: a Systematic Review of the Evidence. Intervention-International Journal of Mental Health Psychosocial Work and Counselling in Areas of Armed Conflict, 18(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.4103/intv.Intv_6_19
Ubels, T., Kinsbergen, S., Tolsma, J., & Koch, D.-J. (2022). The social outcomes of psychosocial support: A grey literature scoping review. SSM - Mental Health, 100074. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2022.100074

Authors

• Tessa Ubels, Radboud University, Anthropology and Development Studies

• Sara Kinsbergen, Radboud University Nijmegen

• Jochem Tolsma, Sociology department, Radboud University and Sociology department, University of Groningen

• Dirk-Jan Koch, Radboud University Nijmegen