Perceptions of Ghanaian traditional health practitioners, primary health care workers, service users and caregivers regarding collaboration for mental health care

BACKGROUND

In low- and middle-income countries, the paucity of conventional health services means that many people with mental health problems rely on traditional health practitioners (THPs). This paper examines the possibility of forging partnerships at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level in two geopolitical regions of Ghana, to maximize the benefits to both health systems.

METHODS

The study was a qualitative cross-sectional survey. Eight (8) focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted between February and April 2014. The views of THPs, PHC providers, service users (i.e. patients) and their caregivers, on the perceived benefits, barriers and facilitators of forging partnerships were examined. A thematic framework approach was employed for analysis.

RESULTS

The study revealed that underlying the widespread approval of forging partnerships, there were mutual undertones of suspicion. While PHC providers were mainly concerned that THPs may incur harms to service users (e.g., through delays in care pathways and human rights abuses), service users and their caregivers highlighted the failure of conventional medical care to meet their healthcare needs. There are practical challenges to these collaborations, including the lack of options to adequately deal with human rights issues such as some patients being chained and exposed to the vagaries of the weather at THPs. There is also the issue of the frequent shortage of psychotropic medication at PHCs.

CONCLUSION

Addressing these barriers could enhance partnerships. There is also a need to educate all providers, which should include sessions clarifying the potential value of such partnerships.

Mental Distress and Human Rights Violations During COVID-19: A Rapid Review of the Evidence Informing Rights, Mental Health Needs, and Public Policy Around Vulnerable Populations

Background: COVID-19 prevention and mitigation efforts were abrupt and challenging for most countries with the protracted lockdown straining socioeconomic activities. Marginalized groups and individuals are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of the pandemic such as human rights abuses and violations which can lead to psychological distress. In this review, we focus on mental distress and disturbances that have emanated due to human rights restrictions and violations amidst the pandemic. We underscore how mental health is both directly impacted by the force of pandemic and by prevention and mitigation structures put in place to combat the disease. Methods: We conducted a review of relevant studies examining human rights violations in COVID-19 response, with a focus on vulnerable populations, and its association with mental health and psychological well-being. We searched PubMed and Embase databases for studies between December 2019 to July 2020. Three reviewers evaluated the eligibility criteria and extracted data. Results: Twenty-four studies were included in the systematic inquiry reporting on distress due to human rights violations. Unanimously, the studies found vulnerable populations to be at a high risk for mental distress. Limited mobility rights disproportionately harmed psychiatric patients, low-income individuals, and minorities who were at higher risk for self-harm and worsening mental health. Healthcare workers suffered negative mental health consequences due to stigma and lack of personal protective equipment and stigma. Other vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and refugees also experienced negative consequences. Conclusions: This review emphasizes the need to uphold human rights and address long term mental health needs of populations that have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. Countries can embed a proactive psychosocial response to medical management as well as in existing prevention strategies. International human rights guidelines are useful in this direction but an emphasis should be placed on strengthening rights informed psychosocial response with specific strategies to enhance mental health in the long-term. We underscore that various fundamental human rights are interdependent and therefore undermining one leads to a poor impact on the others. We strongly recommend global efforts toward focusing both on minimizing fatalities, protecting human rights, and promoting long term mental well-being.

Implementing combined WHO mhGAP and adapted group interpersonal psychotherapy to address depression and mental health needs of pregnant adolescents in Kenyan primary health care settings (INSPIRE): a study protocol for pilot feasibility trial of the integrated intervention in LMIC settings

BACKGROUND

Addressing adolescent pregnancies associated health burden demands new ways of organizing maternal and child mental health services to meet multiple needs of this group. There is a need to strengthen integration of sustainable evidence-based mental health interventions in primary health care settings for pregnant adolescents. The proposed study is guided by implementation science frameworks with key objective of implementing a pilot trial testing a full IPT-G version along with IPT-G mini version under the mhGAP/IPT-G service framework and to study feasibility of the integrated mhGAP/IPT-G adolescent peripartum depression care delivery model and estimate if a low cost and compressed version of IPT-G intervention would result in similar size of effect on mental health and family functioning as the Full IPT-G. There are two sub- studies embedded which are: 1) To identify multi-level system implementation barriers and strategies guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to enhance perinatal mhGAP-depression care and evidence-based intervention integration (i.e., group interpersonal psychotherapy; IPT-G) for pregnant adolescents in primary care contexts; 2) To use findings from aim 1 and observational data from Maternal and Child Health (MCH) clinics that run within primary health care facilities to develop a mental health implementation workflow plan that has buy-in from key stakeholders, as well as to develop a modified protocol and implementation training manual for building health facility staff's capacity in implementing the integrated mhGAP/IPT-G depression care.

METHODS

For the primary objective of studying feasibility of the integrated mhGAP/IPT-G depression care in MCH service context for adolescent perinatal depression, we will recruit 90 pregnant adolescents to a three-arm pilot intervention (unmasked) trial study (IPT-G Full, IPT-G Mini, and wait-list control in the context of mhGAP care). Pregnant adolescents ages 13-18, in their 1st-2nd trimester with a depression score of 13 and above on EPDS would be recruited. Proctor's implementation evaluation model will be used. Feasibility and acceptability of the intervention implementation and size of effects on mental health and family functioning will be estimated using mixed method data collection from caregivers of adolescents, adolescents, and health care providers. In the two sub-studies, stakeholders representing diverse perspectives will be recruited and focus group discussions data will be gathered. For aim 2, to build capacity for mhGAP-approach of adolescent depression care and research, the implementation-capacity training manual will be applied to train 20 providers, 12 IPT-G implementers/health workers and 16 Kenyan researchers. Acceptability and appropriateness of the training approach will be assessed. Additional feedback related to co-located service delivery model, task-shifting and task-sharing approach of IPT-G delivery will be gathered for further manual improvement.

DISCUSSION

This intervention and service design are in line with policy priority of Government of Kenya, Kenya Vision 2030, World Health Organization, and UN Sustainable Development Goals that focus on improving capacity of mental health service systems to reduce maternal, child, adolescent health and mental health disparities in LMICs. Successfully carrying out this study in Kenya will provide an evidence-based intervention service development and implementation model for adolescents in other Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The study is funded by FIC/NIH under K43 grant.

Effect of collaborative care between traditional and faith healers and primary health-care workers on psychosis outcomes in Nigeria and Ghana (COSIMPO): a cluster randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Traditional and faith healers (TFH) provide care to a large number of people with psychosis in many sub-Saharan African countries but they practise outside the formal mental health system. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a collaborative shared care model for psychosis delivered by TFH and primary health-care providers (PHCW).

METHODS

In this cluster-randomised trial in Kumasi, Ghana and Ibadan, Nigeria, we randomly allocated clusters (a primary care clinic and neighbouring TFH facilities) 1:1, stratified by size and country, to an intervention group or enhanced care as usual. The intervention included a manualised collaborative shared care delivered by trained TFH and PHCW. Eligible participants were adults (aged ≥18 years) newly admitted to TFH facilities with active psychotic symptoms (positive and negative syndrome scale [PANSS] score ≥60). The primary outcome, by masked assessments at 6 months, was the difference in psychotic symptom improvement as measured with the PANSS in patients in follow-up at 3 and 6 months. Patients exposure to harmful treatment practices, such as shackling, were also assessed at 3 and 6 months. Care costs were assessed at baseline, 3-month and 6-month follow-up, and for the entire 6 months of follow-up. This trial was registered with the National Institutes of Health Clinical Trial registry, NCT02895269.

FINDINGS

Between Sept 1, 2016, and May 3, 2017, 51 clusters were randomly allocated (26 intervention, 25 control) with 307 patients enrolled (166 [54%] in the intervention group and 141 [46%] in the control group). 190 (62%) of participants were men. Baseline mean PANSS score was 107·3 (SD 17·5) for the intervention group and 108·9 (18·3) for the control group. 286 (93%) completed the 6-month follow-up at which the mean total PANSS score for intervention group was 53·4 (19·9) compared with 67·6 (23·3) for the control group (adjusted mean difference -15·01 (95% CI -21·17 to -8·84; 0·0001). Harmful practices decreased from 94 (57%) of 166 patients at baseline to 13 (9%) of 152 at 6 months in the intervention group (-0·48 [-0·60 to -0·37] p<0·001) and from 59 (42%) of 141 patients to 13 (10%) of 134 in the control group (-0·33 [-0·45 to -0·21] p<0·001), with no significant difference between the two groups. Greater reductions in overall care costs were seen in the intervention group than in the control group. At the 6 month assessment, greater reductions in total health service and time costs were seen in the intervention group; however, cumulative costs over this period were higher (US $627 per patient vs $526 in the control group). Five patients in the intervention group had mild extrapyramidal side effects.

INTERPRETATION

A collaborative shared care delivered by TFH and conventional health-care providers for people with psychosis was effective and cost-effective. The model of care offers the prospect of scaling up improved care to this vulnerable population in settings with low resources.

FUNDING

US National Institute of Mental Health.

Working alliance predicts symptomatic improvement in public hospital-delivered psychotherapy in Nairobi, Kenya

OBJECTIVE

Although patient-therapist collaboration (working alliance) has been studied extensively in Europe and America, it is unknown to what extent the importance of working alliance for psychotherapy outcome generalizes to lower- and middle-income countries. Additionally, there is a need for more studies on the alliance using methods that are robust to confounders of its effect on outcome.

METHOD

In this study, 345 outpatients seeking care at the 2 public psychiatric hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya, filled out the Session Alliance Inventory (SAI) and the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) during each session. The effect of alliance on next-session psychological distress was modeled using the random intercept cross-lagged panel model, which estimates a cross-lagged panel model on within- and between-subjects disaggregated data.

RESULTS

Changes in the working alliance from session to session significantly predicted change in psychological distress by the next session, with an increase of 1 point of the SAI in a given session resulting in a decrease of 1.27 points on the CORE-OM by the next session (SE = .60, 95% confidence interval [-2.44, -.10]). This finding represents a medium-sized standardized regression coefficient of between .16 and .21. Results were generally robust to sensitivity tests for stationarity, missing data assumptions, and measurement error.

CONCLUSION

Results affirm cross-cultural stability of the session-by-session reciprocal effects model of alliance and psychological distress-symptoms as seen in a Kenyan psychiatric outpatient sample, using the latest developments in cross-lagged panel modeling. A limitation of the study is its naturalistic design and lack of control over several variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Factor analysis of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measures (CORE-OM) in a Kenyan sample

BACKGROUND

There is no generic psychotherapy outcome measure validated for Kenyan populations. The objective of this study was to test the acceptability and factor structure of the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation - Outcome Measure in patients attending psychiatric clinics at two state-owned hospitals in Nairobi.

METHODS

Three hundred and forty-five patients filled out the CORE-OM after their initial therapy session. Confirmatory and Exploratory Factor Analysis (CFA/EFA) were used to study the factor structure of the CORE-OM.

RESULTS

The English version of the CORE-OM seemed acceptable and understandable to psychiatric patients seeking treatment at the state-owned hospitals in Nairobi. Factor analyses showed that a model with a general distress factor, a risk factor, and a method factor for positively framed items fit the data best according to both CFA and EFA analysis. Coefficient Omega Hierarchical showed that the general distress factor was reliably measured even if differential responding to positively framed items was regarded as error variance.

CONCLUSIONS

The English language version of the CORE-OM can be used with psychiatric patients attending psychiatric treatment in Nairobi. The factor structure was more or less the same as has been shown in previous studies. The most important limitation is the relatively small sample size.

Adolescent Pregnancy and Challenges in Kenyan Context: Perspectives from Multiple Community Stakeholders

OBJECTIVE

The key objective of this paper is to provide a phenomenological account of the mental health challenges and experiences of adolescent new mothers. We explore the role of social support and the absence of empathy plays in depression among pregnant adolescents. The project also collected data on the adolescents' caregiving environment which includes the adolescents' mothers, their partners, the community, and health care workers, as well as feedback from staff nurses at the maternal and child health centers. The caregivers provide additional insight into some of the barriers to access of mental health services and pregnancy care, and the etiology of adolescents' distress.

METHODS

The interviews were conducted in two health facilities of Kariobangi and Kangemi's maternal and child health (MCH) centers that cover a huge low-income and low-middle-income formal and informal settlements of Nairobi. A grounded theory approach provided a unique methodology to facilitate discussion around adolescent pregnancy and depression among the adolescents and their caregivers. Our interviews were cut across four samples with 36 participants in total. The sample 1 comprised of eight pregnant adolescents who screened positive for depression in Kariobangi, sample 2 were six caregivers from both sites, and sample 3 were 22 new adolescent mothers from both sites. After individual interviews, we carried out one focused group discussion (FDG) in order to understand the cross-cutting issues and to gather some consensus on key issues, and the sample 4 were 20 community health workers, health workers, and nurses from both sites. We had one FGD with all health facility-based workers to understand the cross-cutting issues. The interviews in sample 1 and 2 were individual interviews with pregnant and parenting adolescents, and their caregivers. All our adolescent participants interviewed in sample 1 were screened for depression. Individual interviews followed the FGD.

FINDINGS

Pregnant and parenting adolescents faced several adversities such as social stigma, lack of emotional support, poor healthcare access, and stresses around new life adjustments. We highlighted a few useful coping mechanisms and strategies that these adolescents were thinking to reduce their stress. Primary social support for pregnant and parenting teens comes from the adolescent's mother. The external family and male partners provide negligible support in the rearing of the child. While the mother's reactions to the daughters' pregnancy were empathetic sometimes, absence of food and resources made the mother distant and constraint in lending support. For those adolescents who were living with partners, in their new mother role, they had to negotiate additional challenges such as solutions to everyday childcare responsibilities and other family duties. The health care workers and community health workers confirmed that adolescent mothers have multiple needs, but there is a lack of holistic approach of service, and that their own training and capacities were very limited.

CONCLUSIONS

Our paper highlights several individual stakeholder-related and system-level barriers in the MCH primary care setting that affect delivery of psychosocial support for pregnant adolescent. We have identified these knowledge, practice, and institutional gaps that need addressing through careful community and health service staff engagement using implementation strategies that are effective in low-resource settings. Pregnant adolescents are highly vulnerable group and mental health services needs to be understood better.

Suicidality and associated risk factors in outpatients attending a general medical facility in rural Kenya

BACKGROUND

Low-and-Middle-Income-Countries (LMICs) account for 75% of global suicides. While primary care populations in high-income countries (HIC) typically have higher prevalence of suicidal behavior relative to general populations, few studies have explored suicidal behavior among general medical outpatients in LMICs. This study addresses the research gap by characterizing potential risk factors for suicidal ideation in a large general medical outpatient setting in rural Kenya.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of adult general medical outpatients attending a rural sub-county hospital in Kaloleni, Kenya. Primary outcomes included major depressive disorder (MDD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal behavior measured by the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI 5.0). We use binary logistic regression to model suicidality, mental disorders, intimate partner violence, and lifetime abuse.

RESULTS

394 outpatients completed the assessment. The prevalence of SI over the past month was 20%. 18% of those with suicidal ideation over the past month also attempted suicide in the past month. Participants who met criteria for MDD (suicidality item removed) were 19 times [CI: 4.56, 79.05] more likely to report suicidal ideation compared to those without MDD (adjusted odds ratio 12.15 [CI: 2.66, 55.49]).

LIMITATIONS

This was a cross sectional study design with convenience sampling and hence vulnerable to selection and recall bias.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of SI and its strong association with actual suicide attempt in this population, make an urgent public health case for intervention. These data identify MDD as a highly significant correlate of SI.

Collaboration Between Biomedical and Complementary and Alternative Care Providers: Barriers and Pathways

We examined the scope of collaborative care for persons with mental illness as implemented by traditional healers, faith healers, and biomedical care providers. We conducted semistructured focus group discussions in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria with traditional healers, faith healers, biomedical care providers, patients, and their caregivers. Transcribed data were thematically analyzed. A barrier to collaboration was distrust, influenced by factionalism, charlatanism, perceptions of superiority, limited roles, and responsibilities. Pathways to better collaboration were education, formal policy recognition and regulation, and acceptance of mutual responsibility. This study provides a novel cross-national insight into the perspectives of collaboration from four stakeholder groups. Collaboration was viewed as a means to reach their own goals, rooted in a deep sense of distrust and superiority. In the absence of openness, understanding, and respect for each other, efficient collaboration remains remote. The strongest foundation for mutual collaboration is a shared sense of responsibility for patient well-being.

COllaborative Shared care to IMprove Psychosis Outcome (COSIMPO): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background

Psychotic disorders are a group of severe mental disorders that cause considerable disability to sufferers and a high level of burden to families. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), traditional and faith healers are the main providers of care to affected persons. Even though frequently canvassed as desirable for improved care delivery, collaboration between these complementary alternative health providers (CAPs) and conventional health providers has yet to be rigorously tested for feasibility and effectiveness on patient outcomes.

Methods/design

COSIMPO is a single-blind, cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) being conducted in Nigeria and Ghana to compare the effectiveness of a collaborative shared care (CSC) intervention program implemented by CAPs and primary health care providers (PHCPs) with care as usual (CAU) at improving the outcome of patients with psychosis. The study is designed to test the hypotheses that patients receiving CSC will have a better clinical outcome and experience fewer harmful treatment practices from the CAPs than patients receiving CAU at 6 months after study entry. An estimated sample of 296 participants will be recruited from across 51 clusters, with a cluster consisting of a primary care clinic and its neighboring CAP facilities. CSC is a manualized intervention package consisting of regular and scheduled visits of PHCPs to CAP facilities to assist with the management of trial participants. Assistance includes the administration of antipsychotic medications, management of comorbid physical condition, assisting the CAP to avoid harmful treatment practices, and engaging with CAPs, caregivers and participants in planning discharge and rehabilitation. The primary outcome, assessed at 6 months following trial entry, is improvement on the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS). Secondary outcomes, assessed at 3 and 6 months, consist of levels of disability, experience of harmful treatment practices and of victimization, and levels of perceived stigma and of caregivers’ burden.

Discussion

Information about whether collaboration between orthodox and complementary health providers is feasible and can lead to improved outcome for patients is important to formulating policies designed to formally engage the services of traditional and faith healers within the public health system.

Trial registration

National Institutes of Health Clinical Trial registry, ID: NCT02895269. Registered on 30 July 2016

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2187-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Explanatory model of psychosis: impact on perception of self-stigma by patients in three sub-saharan African cities

BACKGROUND

Most cultures in sub-Saharan Africa subscribe to the belief that the root cause of psychosis is supernatural. Individuals in the community who hold a religiomagical explanatory model of causation have been shown to exhibit more stigmatizing attitudes towards people with psychosis. Self-stigma among individuals with psychosis is less frequently studied.

METHOD

We used a mixed-method approach, consisting of key informant's interviews to elicit information on explanatory models of causation of psychosis and questionnaire assessment of internalized stigma with an adapted version of the Scale for Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness. Twenty-four, 31, and 30 subjects with recent experience of utilizing the service of traditional or faith healers for severe mental disorders in Ibadan (Nigeria), Kumasi (Ghana), and Nairobi (Kenya), respectively, were interviewed.

RESULTS

About 44 % (42.1 %) of the Nigerian respondents had a high (severe) level of self-stigma with the respective proportions among Ghanaian and Kenyan respondents being 20.7 and 37.5 %. Compared with 4 out of a total of 12 respondents (33.3 %) who reported low self-stigma reported supernatural attribution, 14 out of 20 respondents (70 %) with the highest level of self-stigma reported supernatural attribution across the three sites. When low scorers ascribed supernatural causation, it was often with a religious focus.

CONCLUSION

There is a greater tendency for persons with high levels of self-stigma than those with low levels to ascribe supernatural attribution to their experience of a severe mental health condition.

Common mental disorder in Nyanza province, Kenya in 2013 and its associated risk factors--an assessment of change since 2004, using a repeat household survey in a demographic surveillance site

BACKGROUND

Repeat household surveys are useful to assess change in prevalence over time, but there have been no repeat surveys of common mental disorder (CMD) in Kenya, or indeed sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore a repeat household survey of CMD and its associated risk factors was conducted in Maseno area, Kisumu county in Kenya, using a demographic surveillance site as the sample frame, in order to test the hypotheses that (a) the prevalence of CMD would increase between 2004 and 2013 due to the intervening political, social and economic pressures; (b) as in 2004, there would be no gender difference in prevalence of CMD.

METHODS

One thousand one hundred ninety households were selected, and 1158 adult participants consented to be interviewed with a structured epidemiological assessment while 32 refused to participate in the study interviews, giving a response rate of 97.3%.

RESULTS

The study found that the overall prevalence of CMD in 2013 was 10.3%. However, there were significantly higher rates of having any CMD in 2013 if one was female (OR 6.2, p < 0.001), divorced/widowed (OR 2.5, p < 0.003), aged over 60 (OR 2.3, p = 0.052), either self-employed (OR 3.3 p < 0.001) or employed (OR 3.3, p < 0.001), or belonged to the lowest asset quintile (OR 2.5, p = .0.004) after adjusting for other variables significant at the bivariate level. The overall prevalence in 2013 was consistent with that found in 2004, despite intervening political and community turbulence. However, this apparent consistency masks the development of a striking difference in prevalence between the genders. Over the decade 2004-13, the prevalence for men dropped from 10.9 to 3.8% (P = 0.001) and the prevalence for women increased from 10.8 to 17.5% (p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Common mental disorders continue to pose a significant public health burden in Kenya, and gender related vulnerability merits further research and is relevant for health worker training.

Probable Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Kenya and Its Associated Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Household Survey

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and its associated risk factors in a general household population in Kenya. Data were drawn from a cross-sectional household survey of mental disorders and their associated risk factors. The participants received a structured epidemiological assessment of common mental disorders, and symptoms of PTSD, accompanied by additional sections on socio-demographic data, life events, social networks, social supports, disability/activities of daily living, quality of life, use of health services, and service use. The study found that 48% had experienced a severe trauma, and an overall prevalence rate of 10.6% of probable PTSD, defined as a score of six or more on the trauma screening questionnaire (TSQ). The conditional probability of PTSD was 0.26. Risk factors include being female, single, self-employed, having experienced recent life events, having a common mental disorder (CMD)and living in an institution before age 16. The study indicates that probable PTSD is prevalent in this rural area of Kenya. The findings are relevant for the training of front line health workers, their support and supervision, for health management information systems, and for mental health promotion in state boarding schools.

Alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking in western Kenya--a household survey in a health and demographic surveillance site

BACKGROUND

Alcohol use and hazardous drinking have been studied in school children and in urban areas of Kenya, but there has been no adult survey of these issues in a rural household population.

METHODS

This study reports the prevalence of alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking in a household survey of a demographic surveillance site in rural Kenya. Information collected included demographic characteristics, socio-economic factors, recent life events and perceived social support. Alcohol consumption was assessed by questions about quantity and frequency. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) measured hazardous alcohol use. The Clinical Interview Schedule- Revised assessed common mental disorder, and the Psychosis Screening Questionnaire indicated the presence of psychotic symptoms.

RESULTS

The study found that lifetime and current alcohol consumption were 10.8% and 9.2% respectively. Current alcohol consumption was significantly higher in men (OR 0.4, p < 0.001 for women) and in the self-employed (OR 1.8, p = 0.013), after adjustment for factors significant at the bivariate level. Hazardous drinking was significantly higher in men (OR 0.3, p < 0.001 for women), people living in larger households (OR 1.8, p = 0.021), people who were single (OR 1.7, p = 0.093), and in those who are self-employed (OR 1.8, p = 0.036), after adjustment for factors significant at the bivariate level.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking in the general population in a poor rural area in Nyanza Province is still relatively low. This represents an important public health educational opportunity to keep such rates low before increasing income and employment opportunities enable higher access to alcohol and other substances, and before the higher consumption found by studies on urban youth, especially neighbouring Kisumu town, spreads to the rural areas.

Tedium vitae, death wishes, suicidal ideation and attempts in Kenya-prevalence and risk factors

BACKGROUND

There has been no previous household population study of suicidal ideation and attempts in Kenya. Therefore this study aimed to establish the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts in a rural population in Kenya, and to assess risk factors.

METHODS

An epidemiological survey of a household population, using standardised structured interviews. We examined the prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts and the predictors of suicidal thoughts and attempts, using STATA to calculate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios.

RESULTS

A quarter of the sample (24.1 %) had thought that life was not worth living (tedium vitae) at some point in their lives, while a fifth had experienced death wishes at some stage. About 7.9 % reported suicidal thoughts and 1.9 % had made actual suicide attempts at some point in their lives. It can be seen that the prevalence of suicidal thoughts was 0.7 %, 4.2 %, 3.7 % and 7.9 % for last week, last year, at some other time, and lifetime respectively, while the prevalence of suicidal attempts was 0.5 %, 1.2 %, 0.7 and 1.9 % respectively. In the adjusted analysis of factors associated with suicidal thoughts, being female (OR 1.8, p = 0.017), having CMD (OR 2.7, p = 0.001), having a number of recent life events (OR 2.3, p = 0.001 for 2-3 life events and OR 2.6, p = 0.004 for 4 or more life events), and having a large social group size (OR 7.7, p = 0.006 for social group size of 4-8 and OR 9.1, p = 0.003 for social group size of 9 or more) were all associated with increased rates of life time suicidal thoughts, but psychotic symptoms were no longer significant after adjustment for the other variables. In the adjusted analysis of suicide attempts, having any psychotic symptoms (OR 5.1, p = 0.001) was the only factor associated with suicide attempts after adjustment for other factors significant at the bivariate level.

CONCLUSION

Suicidal ideation and attempts pose a significant public health burden in this poor rural area of Kenya. The findings are relevant for mental health promotion and prevention programmes, public education and professional training programmes in relevant sectors, especially in front line health workers and social workers.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptom self-report in adults in Kenya and its associated risk factors, an analysis from a household survey in a demographic surveillance site

BACKGROUND

There have been no household surveys of adult attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Kenya, and only one in sub-Saharan Africa.

METHODS

Data on ADHD was used from a household survey of mental disorders and their associated risk factors conducted in Maseno area (population 70 805), near Lake Victoria in Kenya, using a demographic surveillance site as the sample frame, as part of a wider survey of mental health, malaria and immunity A total of 1190 households were selected, and 1158 adult participants consented to the study while 32 refused to participate in the study interviews, giving a response rate of 97.3%. ADHD symptoms were assessed with the WHO Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener.

RESULTS

This survey found that the overall prevalence of ADHD using the ASRS was 13.1%. This suggests a high level of ADHD in the Kenyan population which needs to be further investigated for its impact on adult mental health. In the adjusted analysis, increased odds ratios (ORs) were found in those with higher assets (OR 1.7, p = 0.023), those with life events (OR 2.4, p = 0.001 for those with 2-3 life events and OR 2.6, p < 0.001 for those with 4 or more life events), and those with common mental disorders (OR 2.3, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrates the magnitude of ADHD symptoms as a public health issue, relevant for health worker training, and the importance of further research into its prevalence in adults and associated risk factors.

Prevalence of malaria parasites in adults and its determinants in malaria endemic area of Kisumu County, Kenya

Background

The prevalence of malaria parasites in adults in Africa is less well researched than in children. Therefore, a demographic surveillance site was used to conduct a household survey of adults in the malaria endemic area of Maseno division in Kisumu County near Lake Victoria.

Methods

A random survey of 1,190 adults living in a demographic health surveillance site in a malaria endemic area of 70,805 population size was conducted, measuring presence of malaria parasites by slide microscopy. Data were analysed using STATA to calculate the prevalence of malaria and associated risk factors.

Results

The adult prevalence of presence of malaria parasites in Maseno was 28% (95% CI: 25.4–31.0%). Gender was a significant sociodemographic risk factor in both univariate (OR 1.5, p = 0.005) and multivariate (OR 1.4, p = 0.019) analyses. Females were 50% more likely to have malaria than men.

Conclusions

Presence of malaria parasites is common in the adult population of this endemic area, and the rate is greatly increased in women. The presence of such an adult pool of malaria parasites represents a key reservoir factor in transmission of parasites to children, and is relevant for plans to eradicate malaria.

Adult psychotic symptoms, their associated risk factors and changes in prevalence in men and women over a decade in a poor rural district of Kenya

There have been no repeat surveys of psychotic symptoms in Kenya or indeed subSaharan Africa. A mental health epidemiological survey was therefore conducted in a demographic surveillance site of a Kenyan household population in 2013 to test the hypothesis that the prevalence of psychotic symptoms would be similar to that found in an earlier sample drawn from the same sample frame in 2004, using the same overall methodology and instruments. This 2013 study found that the prevalence of one or more psychotic symptoms was 13.9% with one or more symptoms and 3.8% with two or more symptoms, while the 2004 study had found that the prevalence of single psychotic symptoms in rural Kenya was 8% of the adult population, but only 0.6% had two symptoms and none had three or more psychotic symptoms. This change was accounted for by a striking increase in psychotic symptoms in women (17.8% in 2013 compared with 6.9% in 2004, p < 0.001), whereas there was no significant change in men (10.6% in 2013 compared with 9.4% in 2004, p = 0.582). Potential reasons for this increase in rate of psychotic symptoms in women are explored.

Short structured general mental health in service training programme in Kenya improves patient health and social outcomes but not detection of mental health problems - a pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial

TRIAL DESIGN

A pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial.

METHODS

PARTICIPANTS

Clusters were primary health care clinics on the Ministry of Health list. Clients were eligible if they were aged 18 and over.

INTERVENTIONS

Two members of staff from each intervention clinic received the training programme. Clients in both intervention and control clinics subsequently received normal routine care from their health workers.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the impact of a mental health inservice training on routine detection of mental disorder in the clinics and on client outcomes.

OUTCOMES

The primary outcome was the rate of accurate routine clinic detection of mental disorder and the secondary outcome was client recovery over a twelve week follow up period. Randomisation: clinics were randomised to intervention and control groups using a table of random numbers. Blinding: researchers and clients were blind to group assignment.

RESULTS

Numbers randomised: 49 and 50 clinics were assigned to intervention and control groups respectively. 12 GHQ positive clients per clinic were identified for follow up. Numbers analysed: 468 and 478 clients were followed up for three months in intervention and control groups respectively.

OUTCOME

At twelve weeks after training of the intervention group, the rate of accurate routine clinic detection of mental disorder was greater than 0 in 5% versus 0% of the intervention and control groups respectively, in both the intention to treat analysis (p = 0.50) and the per protocol analysis (p =0.50). Standardised effect sizes for client improvement were 0.34 (95% CI = (0.01,0.68)) for the General Health Questionnaire, 0.39 ((95% CI = (0.22, 0.61)) for the EQ and 0.49 (95% CI = (0.11,0.87)) for WHODAS (using ITT analysis); and 0.43 (95% CI = (0.09,0.76)) for the GHQ, 0.44 (95% CI = (0.22,0.65)) for the EQ and 0.58 (95% CI = (0.18,0.97)) for WHODAS (using per protocol analysis).

HARMS

None identified.

CONCLUSION

The training programme did not result in significantly improved recorded diagnostic rates of mental disorders in the routine clinic consultation register, but did have significant effects on patient outcomes in routine clinical practice.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN53515024.

Health system challenges to integration of mental health delivery in primary care in Kenya--perspectives of primary care health workers

BACKGROUND

Health system weaknesses in Africa are broadly well known, constraining progress on reducing the burden of both communicable and non-communicable disease (Afr Health Monitor, Special issue, 2011, 14-24), and the key challenges in leadership, governance, health workforce, medical products, vaccines and technologies, information, finance and service delivery have been well described (Int Arch Med, 2008, 1:27). This paper uses focus group methodology to explore health worker perspectives on the challenges posed to integration of mental health into primary care by generic health system weakness.

METHODS

Two ninety minute focus groups were conducted in Nyanza province, a poor agricultural region of Kenya, with 20 health workers drawn from a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a mental health training programme for primary care, 10 from the intervention group clinics where staff had received the training programme, and 10 health workers from the control group where staff had not received the training).

RESULTS

These focus group discussions suggested that there are a number of generic health system weaknesses in Kenya which impact on the ability of health workers to care for clients with mental health problems and to implement new skills acquired during a mental health continuing professional development training programmes. These weaknesses include the medicine supply, health management information system, district level supervision to primary care clinics, the lack of attention to mental health in the national health sector targets, and especially its absence in district level targets, which results in the exclusion of mental health from such district level supervision as exists, and the lack of awareness in the district management team about mental health. The lack of mental health coverage included in HIV training courses experienced by the health workers was also striking, as was the intensive focus during district supervision on HIV to the detriment of other health issues.

CONCLUSION

Generic health system weaknesses in Kenya impact on efforts for horizontal integration of mental health into routine primary care practice, and greatly frustrate health worker efforts.Improvement of medicine supplies, information systems, explicit inclusion of mental health in district level targets, management and supervision to primary care are likely to greatly improve primary care health worker effectiveness, and enable training programmes to be followed by better use in the field of newly acquired skills. A major lever for horizontal integration of mental health into the health system would be the inclusion of mental health in the national health sector reform strategy at community, primary care and district levels rather than just at the higher provincial and national levels, so that supportive supervision from the district level to primary care would become routine practice rather than very scarce activity.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Trial registration ISRCTN 53515024.

Exploring the perspectives and experiences of health workers at primary health facilities in Kenya following training

Background

A cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a national Kenyan mental health primary care training programme demonstrated a significant impact for health workers on the health, disability and quality of life of their clients, despite a severe shortage of medicines in the clinics. In order to better understand the potential reasons for the improved outcomes in the intervention group, the experiences of the participating health workers were explored through qualitative focus group discussions, as focus group methodology has been found to be a useful method of obtaining a detailed understanding of client and health worker perspectives within health systems.

Methods

Two ninety minute focus groups were conducted in Nyanza province, a poor agricultural region of Kenya, with 10 health workers from the intervention group clinics where staff had received the training programme, and 10 health workers from the control group where staff had not received the training during the earlier randomised controlled trial.

Results

These focus group discussions suggest that the health workers in the intervention group perceived an increase in their communication, diagnostic and counselling skills, and that the clients in the intervention group noticed and appreciated these enhanced skills, while health workers and clients in the control group were both aware of the lack of these skills.

Conclusion

Enhanced health worker skills conferred by the mental health training programme may be responsible for the significant improvement in outcome of patients in the intervention clinics found in the randomised controlled trial, despite the general shortage of medicines and other health system weaknesses. These findings suggest that strengthening mental health training for primary care staff is worthwhile even where health systems are not strong and where the medicine supply cannot be guaranteed.

Trial registration

ISRCTN 53515024

Perspectives and concerns of clients at primary health care facilities involved in evaluation of a national mental health training programme for primary care in Kenya

BACKGROUND

A cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a national Kenyan mental health primary care training programme demonstrated a significant impact on the health, disability and quality of life of clients, despite a severe shortage of medicines in the clinics (Jenkins et al. Submitted 2012). As focus group methodology has been found to be a useful method of obtaining a detailed understanding of client and health worker perspectives within health systems (Sharfritz and Roberts. Health Transit Rev 4:81-85, 1994), the experiences of the participating clients were explored through qualitative focus group discussions in order to better understand the potential reasons for the improved outcomes in the intervention group.

METHODS

Two ninety minute focus groups were conducted in Nyanza province, a poor agricultural region of Kenya, with 10 clients from the intervention group clinics where staff had received the training programme, and 10 clients from the control group where staff had not received the training during the earlier randomised controlled trial.

RESULTS

These focus group discussions suggest that the clients in the intervention group noticed and appreciated enhanced communication, diagnostic and counselling skills in their respective health workers, whereas clients in the control group were aware of the lack of these skills. Confidentiality emerged from the discussions as a significant client concern in relation to the volunteer cadre of community health workers, whose only training comes from their respective primary care health workers.

CONCLUSION

Enhanced health worker skills conferred by the mental health training programme may be responsible for the significant improvement in outcomes for clients in the intervention clinics found in the randomised controlled trial, despite the general shortage of medicines and other health system weaknesses. These findings suggest that strengthening mental health training for primary care staff is worthwhile even where health systems are not strong and where the medicine supply cannot be guaranteed.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ISRCTN 53515024.

Depressed T-cell interferon-gamma responses in pulmonary tuberculosis: analysis of underlying mechanisms and modulation with therapy

Immunological and clinical profiles were evaluated in 2 groups: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-uninfected and HIV-infected patients, with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), and tuberculin-skin-test-reactive healthy control subjects. HIV-uninfected patients with TB were also followed up longitudinally during and after chemotherapy. At the time of diagnosis, purified protein derivative (PPD)-stimulated production of interferon (IFN)-gamma by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from TB patients was depressed, compared with that of healthy control subjects, whereas levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and interleukin (IL)-10 were increased. In longitudinal studies, PPD stimulated production of IL-10 and TGF-beta returned to baseline by 3 months, whereas IFN-gamma production remained depressed for at least 12 months. These data indicate that the immunosuppression of TB is not only immediate and apparently dependent (at least in part) on immunosuppressive cytokines early during the course of Mycobacterium TB infection but is also long lasting, presumably relating to a primary abnormality in T-cell function.

Interaction of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-induced transforming growth factor beta1 and interleukin-10

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is associated with the activation of cytokine circuits both at sites of active tuberculosis in vivo and in cultures of mononuclear cells stimulated by M. tuberculosis or its components in vitro. Interactive stimulatory and/or inhibitory pathways are established between cytokines, which may result in potentiation or attenuation of the effects of each molecule on T-cell responses. Here we examined the interaction of transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in purified protein derivative (PPD)-stimulated human mononuclear cell cultures in vitro. TGF-beta1 induced monocyte IL-10 (but not tumor necrosis factor alpha) production (by 70-fold, P < 0.02) and mRNA expression in the absence but not in the presence of PPD. Both exogenous recombinant (r) IL-10 and rTGF-beta1 independently suppressed the production of PPD-induced gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in mononuclear cells from PPD skin test-positive individuals. Synergistic suppression of IFN-gamma in cultures containing both rTGF-beta1 and rIL-10 was only seen when the responder cell population were peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and not monocyte-depleted mononuclear cells and when PBMC were pretreated with rTGF-beta1 but not with rIL-10. Suppression of PPD-induced IFN-gamma in PBMC containing both rTGF-beta1 (1 ng/ml) and rIL-10 (100 pg/ml) was 1.5-fold higher (P < 0.05) than cultures containing TGF-beta1 alone and 5.7-fold higher (P < 0.004) than cultures containing IL-10 alone. Also, neutralization of endogenous TGF-beta1 and IL-10 together enhanced PPD-induced IFN-gamma in PBMC in a synergistic manner. Thus, TGF-beta1 and IL-10 together potentiate the downmodulatory effect on M. tuberculosis-induced T-cell production of IFN-gamma, and TGF-beta1 alone enhances IL-10 production. At sites of active M. tuberculosis infection, these interactions may be conducive to the suppression of mononuclear cell functions.

Lack of efficacy of low dose oral interferon alfa in symptomatic HIV-1 infection: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) exhibits dose related in vitro activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with complete inhibition of HIV replication at IFN-alpha concentrations > or = 256 IU/ml. In mid-1990, Kenyan investigators reported that oral administration of an extremely low dose (150 IU/day) of natural human (nHu) IFN-alpha resulted in complete alleviation of AIDS related complex and AIDS symptoms and resolution of opportunistic infections without additional treatment. Moreover, loss of HIV antibody seropositivity was reported in approximately 10% of treated patients. Subsequent small studies failed to substantiate these spectacular claims, but controversy on the efficacy of this treatment persisted.

METHODS

We studied 559 adult Ugandan patients with WHO stage 2-4 HIV infection and a Karnofsky performance score of more than 50, who had not received any drugs with antiretroviral activity in the previous 3 months. The patients were randomly assigned in a double blind fashion either to 150 IU oral nHuIFN-alpha/day or placebo. The duration of treatment was extended from 28 weeks to 60 weeks 9 months after enrollment had started. At that time 112 subjects had already received 28 weeks of treatment and been discontinued from the study.

RESULTS

Both study groups were comparable with respect to all baseline characteristics studied, except that the nHuIFN-alpha group had slightly lower absolute CD4+ lymphocyte counts (median 60.7 x 10(6)/l) than the placebo group (median 85.3 x 10(6)/l) (p = 0.033). Therefore, all analyses were adjusted for CD4+ lymphocyte counts at entry. In both treatment groups there was relentless progression of HIV disease. Subjects treated with nHuIFN-alpha and placebo had similar mortality, disease progression rates, decline of CD4+ lymphocyte counts and Karnofsky performance scores, and prevalence of symptoms. No patient reverted to HIV-1 seronegative antibody status. Serious adverse events were not seen. Quality control of the study medication documented that the active drug indeed contained IFN-alpha activity.

CONCLUSIONS

The current large, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled study did not show any benefit from oral treatment with 150 IU nHuIFN-alpha/day in a population of African patients with symptomatic HIV infection.