Page 53 - JCBP-2-1

Journal of Clinical and

Basic Psychosomatics

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Exploring the sociocultural perception of

post-traumatic stress disorder in Ghana

Sandra Thompson-Assan *, Derrick Kakraba Kaitoo , and
1
2
Gloria Ayebea Aguadze 3
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

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
*Corresponding author: approaches with Western medical and psychological approaches.
Sandra Thompson-Assan
(sandrathompsonassan@gmail.com)
Keywords: Sociocultural; Ghana; Western-based medicine; Health belief model;
Citation: Thompson-Assan S,
Kaitoo DK, Aguadze GA, 2024, Herbospiritual beliefs; Post-traumatic stress disorder
Exploring the sociocultural
perception of post-traumatic stress
disorder in Ghana. J Clin Basic
Psychosom, 2(1): 1260.
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.1260 1. Introduction
Received: July 6, 2023 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition that
contributes 4% of the world’s global burden of disease . PTSD is likely to develop in
[1]
Accepted: October 7, 2023
individuals having been exposed to traumatic events, such as violence, loss, threats of
Published Online: November 6, death, rape, abduction, physical and sexual abuse, accidents, and natural disasters [2,3] .
2023
Based on the fifth edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), the symptoms
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). of PTSD include disturbing thoughts, feelings, dreams related to traumatic events,
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues,
Creative Commons Attribution alterations in the way a person thinks and feels, and an increase in the fight-or-flight
License, permitting distribution, response . When these symptoms persist for more than a month in an individual after
[4]
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is the traumatic event, he or she may be diagnosed with PTSD, which affects the quality
[4]
properly cited. of life .
Publisher’s Note: AccScience The prevalence of traumatic events varies from region to region, reflecting the
Publishing remains neutral with differences in cultural, political, and historical factors . Although the prevalence of
[5]
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional traumatic events in low- and middle-income countries remains unknown, it is recognized
affiliations. that factors such as poverty, armed or political conflict, resource deficits, and shortage of
Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.1260