Experiences of integrating a psychological intervention into a youth-led empowerment program

Depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders are the leading causes of illness and disability in adolescents. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of integrating mental health (MH) services into a youth-led community-based intervention targeting out-of-school adolescents, residing in Kariobangi and Rhonda informal settlements in Kenya. Youth mentors were trained on the Bridging the Gaps (BTG) curriculum that integrated a modified version of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Problem Management Plus (PM+) psychological intervention into a sexual health, life-skills and financial education curriculum. Mentors ran 72 weekly group sessions for 469 adolescents, provided five enhanced one-on-one treatment sessions to those displaying signs of psychological distress, and referred more severe cases. A qualitative survey took place between February-March 2022. In-depth interviews were carried out with 44 adolescents, 7 partners, 19 parents and 11 stakeholders. Four focus group discussions were carried out with 17 mentors. Themes focused on the program’s perceived effectiveness, ability to develop the capacity of mentors to address MH issues, and increased access to MH services.抑郁症、焦虑症与行为障碍是导致青少年患病与致残的首要病因。本研究旨在评估将心理健康（mental health, MH）服务整合至以青少年为主导的社区干预项目的可行性，该项目针对居住在肯尼亚卡里奥邦吉（Kariobangi）与隆达（Rhonda）非正式定居点的失学青少年。青年导师接受了弥合差距（Bridging the Gaps, BTG）课程培训，该课程将经改良的世界卫生组织（World Health Organization, WHO）问题管理加（Problem Management Plus, PM+）心理干预方案，整合至性健康、生活技能与金融教育课程体系当中。导师为469名青少年开展了72次每周固定开展的团体辅导活动，为出现心理困扰迹象的服务对象提供了5次强化型一对一治疗服务，并将病情更为严重的个案转介至相关机构。定性调查于2022年2月至3月期间实施。研究团队对44名青少年、7名合作方代表、19名家长及11名利益相关者开展了深度访谈，同时针对17名导师组织了4次焦点小组讨论。调研主题聚焦于项目的感知有效性、导师应对心理健康问题的能力培养成效，以及心理健康服务可及性的提升情况。