Introduction: Adolescent mental health challenges have been identified as a public health concern globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), due to the scarcity of services, where help-seeking is often hampered by social stigma. A strategy to increase the availability of services is to implement, brief, stigma-free, and scalable interventions. The Shamiri Intervention (the Kiswahili word for “thrive”) is an example of a 4-week, group-based intervention which is implemented via 1-hour sessions within high school settings.
Purpose: The present study employed qualitative methods to explore participant feedback on their preferred elements of Shamiri Intervention. The aim is to use the feedback to help to guide and improve intervention effectiveness, acceptability, and appropriateness. The results have the potential to understand better lay-provided mental health service delivery and design among high school students in LMICs, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Methodology: The project employed a qualitative phenomenological design to collect participant feedback, and reflective thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.
Results: The researchers constructed the following themes to summarize the participants’ responses: learning (acquiring new knowledge related to the core components of the Shamiri Intervention, i.e., growth mindset, values affirmation, and gratitude); rewards (e.g., prizes award that encouraged participation); positive interaction (i.e., the peer-lead delivery); and solutions-oriented (e.g., the practicality of the Shamiri Intervention).
Conclusion: The preferred components of the Shamiri Intervention were learning, rewards for participation, positive interactions with other people, and the solution-oriented nature of the sessions. The mentioning of the features of the Shamiri Intervention could also suggest that, indeed, they are appropriate for the target population. Additionally, the support for the lay providers is critical in Shamiri intervention cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and scalability.
