Description
Introduction: Common Mental Health Disorders (CMHD) are one of the main causes limiting the capacity of women to care for themselves and their offspring in low-middle income countries (LMICs). Recent data suggest high rates of psychological distress among mothers in Zambia while country’s health care system offers very limited support for such concerns. This study aimed to examine the impact and needs for potential for scaling of a culturally adapted psychosocial intervention, the Program management plus for mums (PM+FM) targeting women’s wellbeing.
Methods: This study was part of a larger clinical trial aiming to test the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of PM+FM for women caring for children under 5 into a community setting in urban Zambia. During the post-treatment assessment, trained research assistants employed open-ended questions to gather direct feedback from participants in the intervention arm. To complement participants’ data, our research team conducted two focus groups involving wellbeing community health workers (WCHWs) who were in charge of providing the intervention. The interview guides gathered insights related to the impact and potential barriers to scale up the PM+FM.
Results: A total of 53 women and 5 WCHWs participated in the study. Providers and participants reported PM+FM reached a positive impact influencing both mental and physical health, increasing support networks and financial wellbeing of women through major empowerment. Additionally, WCHWs described an impact on their own personal growth after the training and providing PM+FM intervention.
Notably, a consensus emerged among both providers and participants, indicating the importance of encouraging participants to share their learnings and involving partners in the intervention process. Participants also noted barriers for scaling up the intervention, such as difficulties on raising awareness and battling stigma. Recurring concerns identified within women and WCHWs’ feedback were guarantying neutral spaces for developing the intervention and suicide behaviors within the women.
Conclusions: Insights garnered from participants and WCHWs underscore the potential of PM+FM to achieve a positive impact through increasing economic independence and coping skills. Scaling up PM+FM efforts should focus on implementing initiatives to mitigate stigma to facilitate referral pathways and deepen adaptation towards community needs such as involving partners, ensuring neutral spaces for intervention provision and addressing pressing concerns surrounding suicidal behaviors.
Future research should prioritize integrating the PM+FM into primary care settings to address CMHD among mothers in Zambia.
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