Social suffering and mental health in South Sudan: a community-based study

Principal investigator

Berhe

Location

South Sudan
Topic

Mental health
Methodology

Mixed-methods study
Reference

OCA023-19
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Study status

Concept
Protocol & ERB
Implementation
Completion
Archived

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Purpose of study

Globally, mental health is associated with great suffering, morbidity and mortality, economic and social costs, and human rights abuses. But in South Sudan, mental health is an under-researched topic, and mental health services are almost non-existent. There is limited understanding of experiences of mental distress and taxonomies of mental disorder/illness is limited; and limited understanding of connections between mental distress/disorder/illness and mass social suffering – the collective pain that arises out of everyday life and is amplified by crisis events such as mass atrocity, weaponized sexual violence, multiple displacements, the loss of assets and the collapse of subsistence, kinship-based, production systems (Das et al, 2001). Lack of knowledge makes it difficult to plan appropriate interventions. This study aims to help MSF learn about experiences of communities and individuals of social suffering and how it is linked to mental distress, disorders and illness, in order to improve the quality of interventions, reduce morbidity, and address the other costs of mental illness. The study will focus on the experiences of communities served by MSF – predominantly Nuer people. It will use Nuer language extensively – looking at how Nuer language conveys idioms of distress and tells stories of trauma, post-traumatic stress and growth. The use of Nuer language contrasts with nearly all other studies of mental health in South Sudan, which are conducted in English or Juba (pidgin/creole) Arabic. These two languages are not universally spoken, and they may not always be the languages of lived mental experiences. Although the study will focus on Nuer specificities, it will aim at replicability in other South Sudanese contexts and languages. This will allow the study to contribute to wider national studies of mental health, and help policy makers develop appropriate research and health strategies. It will contribute to the generation of baseline information for further research and surveys in mental health as there is limited information regarding the mental health in South Sudan. It will also help MSF develop relationships with people in its areas of operation with experience and/or expertise in mental health, who can be used to support future programmes. Finally, it will inform the work of MSF’s mental health teams and help MSF in the future to ensure that mental health interventions are more context-specific, more patient-centred, more relevant, and more effective.