Empowerment of young adults in a disadvantaged community to improve mental health among their peers

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dc.contributor.advisor Visser, Maretha
dc.contributor.postgraduate Hadebe, Nqobile
dc.date.accessioned 2024-07-29T12:25:37Z
dc.date.available 2024-07-29T12:25:37Z
dc.date.created 2024-09
dc.date.issued 2024-04
dc.description Mini Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2024. en_US
dc.description.abstract In the absence of appropriate mental health services in disadvantaged communities with many social challenges, such as Mamelodi, South Africa, young adults with a passion to help others were empowered for civic engagement to promote the mental health of their peers through peer-led interventions. Snowball sampling was used to identify seven young adults aged between 18 and 28 years who wished to be part of the empowering process. During eight empowerment sessions, the young adults planned and implemented an intervention that focused on fostering mental health literacy among their peers and circulating information on available support structures. This included an interview at the community radio station, also livestreamed on social media, during which mental health challenges among the youth were discussed. To accompany this, they created a video on depression and suicide, which they shared on their social media accounts and on the community radio station’s Facebook page. In support of their efforts to destigmatise mental health conditions and promote health-seeking behaviour, they distributed a pamphlet with the contact details of institutions and organisations that provide mental health support. They intend to broaden the intervention by hosting talks and workshops at schools. The young adult group experienced difficulties with hosting workshops and school talks as the service providers and non-governmental organisations they approached for assistance cited resource constraints or limited availability. During a focus group discussion that was held after the intervention had been implemented, the young adult group discussed their experiences while developing and implementing the intervention. Notwithstanding the obstacles they faced, they reported feeling empowered as they were acting as advocates for mental health. The process fostered facets of psychological empowerment, such as a critical awareness of the environment, the development of competencies and confidence, and resource mobilisation. The process contributed to their psychological and social well-being, which could be seen in improvements in their self-awareness and emotion regulation skills, and they had come to perceive themselves as valuable members of society. Findings suggested that their peers benefitted as they not only received information about mental health and where to access mental health services, but also received social support during their interactions with the young adults during the project. en_US
dc.description.availability Unrestricted en_US
dc.description.degree MA (Clinical Psychology) en_US
dc.description.department Psychology en_US
dc.description.faculty Faculty of Humanities en_US
dc.identifier.citation * en_US
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.25403/UPresearchdata.26371996.v1 en_US
dc.identifier.other S2024 en_US
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/2263/97283
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher University of Pretoria
dc.rights © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
dc.subject UCTD en_US
dc.subject Community en_US
dc.subject Empowerment en_US
dc.subject Mental health en_US
dc.subject Peer-led intervention en_US
dc.subject Young adults en_US
dc.subject.other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
dc.subject.other SDG-03: Good health and well-being
dc.subject.other Humanities theses SDG-03
dc.subject.other SDG-04: Quality education
dc.subject.other Humanities theses SDG-04
dc.title Empowerment of young adults in a disadvantaged community to improve mental health among their peers en_US
dc.type Mini Dissertation en_US


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