Journal highlights mental health of children & teens in sub-Saharan Africa
May/June 2023 | Volume 22 Number 3
Photo courtesy of Allison DiVincenzo, USAID
A teen stays in a women's shelter in Zimbabwe, where she will receive aid and counseling. A special supplement in the Journal of Adolescent Health addresses the special behavioral health needs of children and teens in sub-Saharan Africa.
High rates of poverty, violence and inadequate health systems escalate rates of mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A
special supplement in the
Journal of Adolescent Health addresses the special behavioral health needs of children and teens in this region. The publication presents research spanning the disciplines of social work, medicine, public health, community health, and family development.
"Serious consideration needs to be given to context-specific influences within SSA, such as mental health-related stigma, skepticism of professional responses, the large number of children and adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS, and the lack of family economic opportunities,” said Dr. Fred Ssewamala of the Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis.
He is a founding director of the
International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD) and co-director of
SMART Africa Centers. The two organizations hosted the 5th Annual Conference on Child Behavioral Health in Sub-Saharan Africa and issued a call for abstracts focusing on advances in SSA behavioral health. Manuscripts developed from some of these abstracts appear in the supplement.
Series articles examine the impacts of multimodal community- and family-level interventions that support and promote healthy behavior among children, teens, and young adults in SSA. Other papers explore protective characteristics and risk factors that influence mental health outcomes in the region. All of the peer-reviewed articles are led or co-led by scholars from SSA, while many of the authors are early career researchers, including doctoral students.
"South to South Collaboration to Strengthen Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Sub-Saharan Africa” was edited by Manasi Jumar of Aga Khan University. The National Institute of Mental Health supported its publication.
More information
Updated May 31, 2023
To view Adobe PDF files,
download current, free accessible plug-ins from Adobe's website.
Related World Regions / Countries
Related Global Health Research Topics