Voices of Thai Women Who Received Gender-Sensitive Empowerment Counseling

In Thailand, as in most countries, mental health treatment is focused on a medical model. A new approach using Gender-Sensitive Empowerment Counseling as a form of intervention for women with depression was employed in this study. This qualitative study describes clients’ perspectives on receiving Gender-Sensitive Empowerment Counseling. Participants were fourteen women with depression who received empowerment counseling. In-depth interviews were used for data collection. Data analysis is content analysis. Five themes emerged: attitude change, feeling empowered, self-confidence, becoming more assertive, and greater self-love. Health care policy and service should integrate gender analysis and empowerment into the treatment modality. Supporting gender-sensitive workshops for therapists is significant for working with women with depression

Gender Inequality Identified as an Underlying Cause of Depression in Thai Women

Depression is increasing worldwide and is the fourth leading cause of global burden of disease. It is one of the most common disorders affecting women worldwide, highlighting the fact that gender is a critical determinant of mental health and illness. This qualitative research employs a gender lens to discover the causes of depression in women in Thailand. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 women who currently experience depression. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then evaluated using gender analysis. The findings revealed two themes relating to gender inequality, namely that women encountered chronic stress as a result of having to perform traditional gender roles and the stress of living in a context defined by an unequal power relationship between genders. The theme of traditional gender roles consisted of two sub-themes: women having to be patient for their children and families and discrimination because of widowhood. The theme of unequal power relationships consisted of three sub-themes: men not being responsible for the duties as the head of the family, men paying for their personal expenses first (before the family), and women having to bear the family’s financial burden. These findings suggest that raising awareness about gender inequality is important for the prevention of depression in Thailand. Furthermore, it is recommended that therapists understand the causes of depression beyond the individual level and integrate a gender perspective in their psychosocial treatment regime for women

Gender Inequality Identified as an Underlying Cause of Depression in Thai Women

Depression is increasing worldwide and is the fourth leading cause of global burden of disease. It is one of the most common disorders affecting women worldwide, highlighting the fact that gender is a critical determinant of mental health and illness. This qualitative research employs a gender lens to discover the causes of depression in women in Thailand. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 women who currently experience depression. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, then evaluated using gender analysis. The findings revealed two themes relating to gender inequality, namely that women encountered chronic stress as a result of having to perform traditional gender roles and the stress of living in a context defined by an unequal power relationship between genders. The theme of traditional gender roles consisted of two sub-themes: women having to be patient for their children and families and discrimination because of widowhood. The theme of unequal power relationships consisted of three sub-themes: men not being responsible for the duties as the head of the family, men paying for their personal expenses first (before the family), and women having to bear the family’s financial burden. These findings suggest that raising awareness about gender inequality is important for the prevention of depression in Thailand. Furthermore, it is recommended that therapists understand the causes of depression beyond the individual level and integrate a gender perspective in their psychosocial treatment regime for women

Analysis of Measles Vaccination Refusal on Social Media (Facebook) among Anti-Vaccine Communities in Indonesia

Measles is one of the main causes of global mortality in the under-fives. The existence of groups that reject immunization caused a decrease in immunization coverage. Anti-vaccine messages are widely delivered on social media. Identification of vaccine rejection behavior can be used as the basis to formulate effective program strategies. The design of this study used rapid assessment procedures (RAP). The informants were from two anti-vaccine communities in the Facebook group. In-depth interviews and observations were done for data collection, and data analysis was performed using the Framework Method. The results found that determinants, such as knowledge, beliefs in health behavior and disease prevention, religion, culture, and government policies play a role in shaping informants’ perceptions of vaccines and disease risks. The design factors of vaccination programs and the reliability of vaccine producing sources were found to be inhibiting factors for informants to receive vaccines. Also, experience with vaccines, health workers' role, and lobbying by anti vaccine groups strengthened informants' attitude who initially doubted vaccines, causing them to reject vaccines ultimately. It is suggested to the Ministry of Health to improve vaccination campaigns through social media, conduct vaccine development study, and increase health workers' knowledge related to vaccines and make their communication techniques more effective

Prevalence and risk factors of psychological distress among Indonesian incarcerated male juveniles

Background/Aim: Adolescence is a developmental period that is rife with emotional problems as adolescents lack psychological maturity. Ju-venile offenders who are incarcerated may be more vulnerable to psy-chological distress. Aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence and risks of psychological distress among male juveniles (MJs) incarcerated in Indonesia. Method: The participants of this study were 206 male juvenile offenders (MJOs) aged 12-17 from 28 Special Child Development Institutions (Lem-baga Pemasyarakatan Khusus Anak; LPKA) in Indonesia. The participants' socio-demographic data was gathered while the strength and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) was used to assess the extent of their psychological distress. Results: Of the 47.6 % of participants that reported psychological dis-tress, peer relationship problems (64.6 %) was the most severe, followed by conduct problems (51.5 %). The binary logistic regression results re-vealed that education level (p = 0.005) and psychological trauma (p < 0.001) correlated with psychological distress and that they were respon-sible for 37.5 % of psychological distress. Therefore, education level and psycho-trauma significantly affect the extent of the psychological distress that MJOs in Indonesia experience. Conclusion: Juveniles require support to further their formal or informal education. Furthermore, healthcare providers could develop appropriate interventions to manage specific traumatic events as well as prevent or improve the mental health of MJOs

Factors influencing the implementation of labour companionship: formative qualitative research in Thailand.

INTRODUCTION: WHO recommends that all women have the option to have a companion of their choice throughout labour and childbirth. Despite clear benefits of labour companionship, including better birth experiences and reduced caesarean section, labour companionship is not universally implemented. In Thailand, there are no policies for public hospitals to support companionship. This study aims to understand factors affecting implementation of labour companionship in Thailand. METHODS: This is formative qualitative research to inform the 'Appropriate use of caesarean section through QUALIty DECision-making by women and providers' (QUALI-DEC) study, to design, adapt and implement a strategy to optimise use of caesarean section. We use in-depth interviews and readiness assessments to explore perceptions of healthcare providers, women and potential companions about labour companionship in eight Thai public hospitals. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis, and narrative summaries of the readiness assessment were generated. Factors potentially affecting implementation were mapped to the Capability, Opportunity, and Motivation behaviour change model (COM-B). RESULTS: 127 qualitative interviews and eight readiness assessments are included in this analysis. The qualitative findings were grouped in four themes: benefits of labour companions, roles of labour companions, training for labour companions and factors affecting implementation. The findings showed that healthcare providers, women and their relatives all had positive attitudes towards having labour companions. The readiness assessment highlighted implementation challenges related to training the companion, physical space constraints, overcrowding and facility policies, reiterated by the qualitative reports. DISCUSSION: If labour companions are well-trained on how to best support women, help them to manage pain and engage with healthcare teams, it may be a feasible intervention to implement in Thailand. However, key barriers to introducing labour companionship must be addressed to maximise the likelihood of success mainly related to training and space. These findings will be integrated into the QUALI-DEC implementation strategies

Healing through culturally embedded practice: an investigation of counsellors’ and clients’ experiences of Buddhist Counselling in Thailand

This thesis is concerned with an exploration of counsellors’ and clients’ lived experiences of Buddhist Counselling, an indigenous Buddhist-based counselling approach in Thailand. Over the past decade, Buddhist Counselling has received a growing interest from Thai counselling trainees and practitioners, and it has also expanded to serve Thai people in various settings. Research on Buddhist Counselling is very limited and most of the existing studies in the field have focused on measuring the effectiveness of the approach. While these studies have consistently indicated the positive effects of Buddhist Counselling on psychological improvement across several population groups, the significant questions of how Buddhist Counselling brings about such outcome and how it is experienced are still largely unanswered. Moreover, existing research is concentrated much more on clients’ views than counsellors’ views, although counsellors’ views of their counselling practice can also serve as a knowledge base of the field. This thesis thus sets out to contribute to rectifying this omission by exploring Buddhist Counselling from the perspectives of both counsellors and clients. The thesis is based on two qualitative studies. The first study addressed Buddhist Counselling from the perspective of five counsellors through a focus group and semi-structured interviews. The second study explored Buddhist Counselling from the perspective of three clients, using two semi-structured interviews with each of them. All data received were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The study reveals counsellors’ and clients’ overall positive experience of engaging in Buddhist Counselling. Central to the accounts of the counsellors are the following perceptions: that their practice of Buddhist Counselling is culturally congruent with the existing values and beliefs of both themselves and their clients; that their personal and professional congruence is key to their therapeutic efficacy; and that they enhance such congruence through their application of Buddhist ideas and practices in their daily lives. Key to the clients’ accounts is their emphasis on the significant roles of the counsellors’ Buddhist ideas and personal qualities, and of their religious practices in facilitating healing and change. Key shared findings from both studies reveal that the participants’ accounts of their cultural background and their experiences of Buddhist Counselling are intertwined. Adopting hermeneutics to address this intertwinement, I reveal the cultural and moral dimensions underlying the practice of Buddhist Counselling. Based on such revelation, I suggest that Buddhist Counselling in particular, as well as psychotherapy in general, should be better understood as a historically situated, culturally bound, and morally constituted activity of people who are concerned with improving the quality of their lives and their community, rather than the transcultural and merely relational work of morally-neutral practitioners

Factors influencing the implementation of labour companionship: formative qualitative research in Thailand

WHO recommends that all women have the option to have a companion of their choice throughout labour and childbirth. Despite clear benefits of labour companionship, including better birth experiences and reduced caesarean section, labour companionship is not universally implemented. In Thailand, there are no policies for public hospitals to support companionship. This study aims to understand factors affecting implementation of labour companionship in Thailand