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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Exploring the sociocultural perception of post-traumatic stress disorder in Ghana
Sandra Thompson-Assan1* ,
Derrick Kakraba Kaitoo2 ,
Gloria Ayebea Aguadze3
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1
Keystone Academy, Houshayu, Shunyi District, Beijing,
China
2
Cornerstone International Academy, East Legon, Accra,
Ghana
3
Department of Guidance and Counselling, Aspire Educational Complex, Okorase, Koforidua,
Ghana
Submitted: 6 July 2023 | Accepted: 7 October 2023 | Published: 6 November 2023
© 2023 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the significant public mental health concerns globally. While Western medical and psychological models dominate in the etiological explanations and treatments of this disorder, alternative interpretations and treatments stemming from health belief model are available in specific cultural contexts such as Ghana. In this exploratory research, a total of 28 participants including 20 PTSD survivors from Accra and Pantang Psychiatric Hospitals and eight culturally informed individuals from Ashaiman, Nima, and Afienya were enrolled for interviews and focus group discussions. The purposive and snowball sampling methods were used. The results showed that participants generally perceived the cause and symptoms of PTSD as spiritual, and most of them had sought herbal and spiritual relief if afflicted with PTSD symptoms. In summary, cultural factors should be considered in the therapeutic management of PTSD by integrating traditional approaches with Western medical and psychological approaches.
Keywords
Sociocultural
Ghana
Western-based medicine
Health belief model
Herbospiritual beliefs
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Funding
None.
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Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.