Comprehensive Analysis of Mental Health Interventions for the Santal Tribe Assignment Sample

Subject Name : Medical Science

Part 1: Theory of Literature Review

1. Introduction

The tribe that has been chosen for this assignment is the Santal tribe. One of the biggest tribal groups in India is the Santal tribe. The states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, and Assam have the highest concentrations of them. The eastern area of India, specifically the Chota Nagpur plateau, is said to be the tribe's original home. The Santal tribe is renowned for its distinctive music, dancing, and artwork. They have a rich cultural legacy. They speak a language known as Santali, which is unique to them (Pati et al., 2022). The social organization of the tribe is hierarchical, with the "manjhi"—the village headman—at the top. The Santal tribe suffers a number of issues in regard to mental health, just like numerous other tribal populations in India. Many people in society suffer from different mental health concerns but aren't given proper treatment or support due to a lack of understanding and access to services related to mental health. Substance misuse, which can result in addictions and other psychological issues, is one of the main issues the Santal tribe has with their mental health. This problem is frequently connected to local problems like unemployment, poverty, and other social issues.

Numerous Indian communities, which include the Santal tribe, frequently stigmatize individuals with mental health issues. As a result, people who struggle with mental health issues may become socially alienated and shut out of local events and support systems. An individual's capacity to work and make a living might be affected by mental health issues. For those who are already poor and marginalized, this results in economic hardship and destitution. Similar to many other Indian indigenous communities, the Santal tribe has limited access to high-quality healthcare services (Sarkar and Singha, 2019). This makes it challenging for those struggling with mental health disorders to get the attention and assistance they require. People with mental health problems frequently turn to substance addiction as a coping strategy, which can be problematic for Santal tribe members who are already at greater risk of abusing drugs owing to economic and social factors. When parents struggle with their own mental health and are unable to give their kids the care and support they need, mental health concerns can affect multiple generations. For the following generations of the Santal tribe, this resulted in a cycle of hunger, poor health, and limited possibilities.

2. Methods

According to Agteren et al, Psychological interventions, which are actions or sets of actions intended to alter emotions, feelings, and behavioral patterns, exist in a variety of forms. Programs with multiple interconnected parts and steps—which are referred to as "complex interventions" by definition—are a common delivery strategy. Research on psychological therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness reflects this, with studies primarily focusing on their efficacy in reducing outcomes of sickness and psychological discomfort (van Agteren et al., 2021). The team came to the conclusion that just two of these influences were controllable by behavioral or psychological therapies or practicable given the scope of our intervention. A significant body of research on the significance of health promotion factors like physical activity, nutrition, and sleep, all of that can be constructively addressed using behavioral interventions, demonstrates how encouraging improvements related to our physical well-being will be helpful for our mental health as both are inextricably connected.

In another research done by Shehadeh et al, The Netherlands as well as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, and other nations have integrated e-mental health programs in their national mental health plans and treatment recommendations because the evidence for their effectiveness is so strong. E-mental health interventions can be totally automated and unguided, or they can be guided, in which case a health professional or qualified layman provides the user with written, telephone, or in-person help (Harper Shehadeh et al., 2020). Effects are greater when a treatment is guided, according to systematic reviews comparing the success rates of directed versus unguided online therapies for mental health. Another study shows that following the end of the randomized controlled trial, CBT demonstrated short-term efficacy for the majority of these conditions. Even though there is currently a dearth of research, several studies have found that CBT has lasting effects on certain mental health issues, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, one year after the intervention is over (Nakao et al., 2021). According to research in the field of psychosomatic medicine, cognitive restructuring is beneficial at reducing psychosomatic symptoms. Numerous anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder and agoraphobia, can benefit from exposure therapy, and fibromyalgia sufferers who practice mindfulness report less pain associated with stress.

3. Results

Psychoeducation program is an existing intervention Psychoeducational programs enlighten people about their psychological well-being, including how to spot signs and get the help they need. Such courses can also help people learn coping mechanisms for stress management and resilience building. Another one is the CBT. A form of talk therapy called cognitive-behavioral therapy assists patients in recognizing and altering unhelpful thought and behavior patterns. A variety of mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, have been found to respond well to CBT as a preventative measure and treatment (Das et al., 2016). The symptoms of depression and anxiety have been demonstrated to be significantly reduced by mindfulness-based therapies, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction. The main goal of these interventions is to help people gain mindfulness abilities, such as the capacity to be in the present moment at all times and be aware of others without passing judgment. By focusing on the broader public, universal prevention initiatives seek to enhance mental wellness as well as prevent mental health concerns. These programs may involve initiatives that encourage physical activity, wholesome food, and social interaction.

Yes, there is a connection between study outcomes and interventions designed to prevent mental wellness problems. An intervention's success can be assessed by looking at how it affects study outcomes such changes in symptoms, happiness with life, and functioning. Study outcomes including changes in signs and symptoms, quality of life, including functioning can be used to assess the efficacy of mental health interventions. The target demographic, the type of intervention, the length and intensity of the program, the manner of delivery, the degree of program fidelity, and the outcome measures are just a few of the programmatic and methodological factors that might affect how well mental health interventions work (Colizzi et al., 2020). Researchers as well as providers can create and put into practice efficient treatments that are suited to the specific requirements of the target group by taking these aspects into account. It is significant to remember that the cultural and social environment in which mental health interventions are used might have an impact on how effective they are. To make sure that interventions are fulfilling the demands of the target population, it is crucial to continually assess their effectiveness and make changes as needed. We can improve the lives of people and communities by creating and putting into practice effective interventions that promote mental wellness as well as stop the emergence of mental health problems.

Part 2 1. Goals and Objectives of the interventions

The goal and objectives of the mental health intervention according to the social cognitive theory will depend on the specific mental problems, the focus of the intervention and the target audience.

Goal

The goal of the intervention depending on the Social Cognitive Theory is to improve the mental health as well as the well-being of the patient suffering from mental health problems

Objectives

To increase knowledge as well as awareness of specific mental health problems including their causes, symptoms as well as available treatments (Purcell et al., 2019).
To increase self-efficacy in managing specific mental health by providing the tools as well as resources for setting achievable goals
To provide social support by providing the opportunities to get connected with others experiencing similar mental problems.
To reduce the bias related to the mental health problem by promoting positive as well as supportive culture
To improve the quality of life through the address of specific mental health problems as well as promoting healthy behaviour related to stress management and mindfulness
To enhance the goal setting skill of the participants to help make SMART goals for their mental health

2. Describe the Health Education Intervention

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be defined as a health education model which is used to treat mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. The main aim of CBT is to help individuals in recognizing and managing mental health issues. The models help in identifying the negative thoughts as well as behaviour that result in mental health problems (Yue et al., 2020). After the identification CBT resolve the issue by replacing it with more positive as well as realistic thoughts. The model also gives focus on modifying the negative behaviours which lead to mental health issue. It includes exposure therapy that exposes the individual to the situation of fear and teaches them to cope with the situation (González-Valero et al., 2019). It also teaches coping skills to the individual in order to manage stress, fear and anxiety. This includes relaxation techniques such as breathing and meditation that help in overcoming challenges and achieving the desired goals. It also includes evaluation of the individual health progress by keeping track of their thoughts as well as behaviour. CBT is delivered to the patient by experienced and trained health professionals.

3. Description of the Theory

Social Cognitive Theory can guide the interventions for mental health problems by focusing on personal, behavioral and environmental factors (Beauchamp et al., 2019). Self-efficacy is the main concept of the SCT that refer to the individual ability to perform well in a specific behavior. In the case of mental health self-efficacy can help in the intervention by providing skill-building opportunities, goal-setting and positive reinforcement. The theory suggests that individuals can learn by observing others. In the context of mental health problems, showcasing the individual can be done who has mental health challenges and had overcome them. SCT give importance to behavioral modeling where the individual can learn by copying others. In the case of mental health positive models such as stress managing techniques can be provided. The theory also gives importance to self-regulation for positive health outcomes. Therefore, the intervention of SCT can focus on goal-setting and self-monitoring skills (Petosa & Smith, 2020). The theory suggests that social support is important for positive mental health outcomes. The intervention based on the SCT can provide opportunities for social engagement such as peer counseling and support groups.

4. Modification of Behavior

Theoretical constructs can be applied in order to address the behavior modification by providing theoretical framework and this explains why people behave in certain ways and how the behavior change can be applied. There are examples of theoretical constructs that can be applied to modify behavior.

Social cognitive theory:

This theory mainly suggests that behavior is influenced by some personal factors, environmental factors and the interaction between them. In order to modify the behavior and social cognitive theory recommends that identifying and changing the personal and environmental factors will influence behavior and provide opportunities for people to observe and model desired behavior. This theory describes that how behavior changes happen due to personal factors, environmental factors and behavioral factors (Smith et al., 2020). These three factors help in creating a change and this might be targeted for the change. To modify the behavior these SCT interventions should focus on self-efficacy and outcomes expectations by providing better opportunities for modeling and reinforcement and this will help in creating a supportive environment that will help in encouraging behavior change.

5. Application of Theoretical Constructs

The application of the theoretical construct to components of an intervention is critical to designing effective behavior change programs. There are some examples of how theoretical constructs might be applied to specific components of an intervention and this includes setting of goals. The goals setting are very much crucial as this aligns with the personal values and providing opportunities for autonomy for goal selection. Another one is social support and this serve as an important factor that will help in behavior change interventions. Therefore applying social cognitive theory help intervention to open more opportunities for observation and modeling of behavior as well and this will eventually help in reinforcement through social support (Heath et al., 2015). Incentives serve another way to motivate the human behavior. Application of operant conditioning and interventions could mainly provide rewards. And this will eventually provide proper reinforcement for the desired behaviors. Education and information serve as a component for behavior change interventions. Application of transtheoretical model interventions will help in providing education and information and this will help in tailoring the specific stage of behavior change. These theoretical constructs help in identification of specific factors and this will help in influencing the behavior.

6. Operationalized the Constructs into Variables

Operational theoretical construct into variables is an important step in designing the behavior change program. The variable help in measuring the aspect in the theoretical construct and this will help in evaluating the effectiveness of the program. Self-efficacy will mainly help in referring the individual’s belief and this will help the individual to perform a specific behavior. Operationalizing construct into a variable might help in measuring the self-efficacy and this will help in reporting questionnaires or going through different observation of the behavior in question (Liu et al., 2022). Outcomes also refer to the consequences of the behavior. This will help in creating more benefits with help of self-report questionnaire through observation of behavior change. Social support can influence behavior change by providing encouragement, reinforcement and accountability. Operationalizing this construct into a variable might mainly involve measuring the level of social support through self-report questionnaire or by counting the number of social interactions that occur throughout the whole interventions. The environmental factors help on access to resources and social norms and this will create an influence in the behavior change in an individual.

References

Beauchamp, M.R., Crawford, K.L. and Jackson, B. (2019) “Social Cognitive Theory and physical activity: Mechanisms of behavior change, critique, and legacy,” Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, pp. 110–117. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2018.11.009.

González-Valero, G. et al. (2019) “Use of meditation and cognitive behavioral therapies for the treatment of stress, depression and anxiety in students. A systematic review and meta-analysis,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22), p. 4394. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224394.

Heath, G., Cooke, R. and Cameron, E. (2015) “A Theory-Based Approach for Developing Interventions to Change Patient Behaviours: A Medication Adherence Example from Paediatric Secondary Care.” Healthcare, 3(4), pp. 1228–1242. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare3041228.

Liu, J. et al. (2022) “Applying Social Cognitive Theory in Predicting Physical Activity Among Chinese Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study With Multigroup Structural Equation Model.” Frontiers in Psychology, 12. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.695241.

Petosa, R.L. and Smith, L. (2020) “Social cognitive theory and accelerometer assessed physical activity among adolescents living in rural Appalachia,” American Journal of Health Education, 51(2), pp. 72–77. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2020.1713262.

Purcell, R., Gwyther, K. and Rice, S.M. (2019) Mental health in elite athletes: Increased awareness requires an early intervention framework to respond to athlete needs - sports medicine - open, SpringerLink. Springer International Publishing. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40798-019-0220-1 (Accessed: May 5, 2023).

Smith, Y. et al. (2020) “Effectiveness of Social Cognitive Theory–Based Interventions for Glycemic Control in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” JMIR Research Protocols, 9(9), p. e17148. DOI: 10.2196/17148.

Yue, J.-L. et al. (2020) Mental Health Services for infectious disease outbreaks including COVID-19: A rapid systematic review: Psychological medicine, Cambridge Core. Cambridge University Press. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/mental-health-services-for-infectious-disease-outbreaks-including-covid19-a-rapid-systematic-review/97AC466C1B5D0400574455CB9F33685A (Accessed: May 5, 2023).

Harper Shehadeh, M.J. et al. (2020) “Step-by-Step, an E-Mental Health Intervention for Depression: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study From Lebanon.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00986.

Nakao, M., Shirotsuki, K. and Sugaya, N. (2021) “Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy for Management of Mental Health and Stress-Related Disorders: Recent Advances in Techniques and Technologies.” BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 15(1). DOI: 10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w.

van Agteren, J. et al. (2021) “Using the Intervention Mapping Approach to Develop a Mental Health Intervention: A Case Study on Improving the Reporting Standards for Developing Psychological Interventions.” Frontiers in Psychology, 12. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648678.

Pati, S. et al. (2022) “A Systematic Review of Community-Based Studies on Mental Health Issues among Tribal Populations in India.” Indian Journal of Medical Research, 156(2), p. 291. DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.ijmr_3206_21.

Sarkar, A.K. and Singha, S. (2019) “Factors Influencing Health of the Santals: A Study of Selected Villages of Birbhum.” The International Journal of Community and Social Development, 1(1), pp. 58–74. DOI: 10.1177/2516602619826261.

Das, J.K. et al. (2016) “Interventions for Adolescent Mental Health: An Overview of Systematic Reviews.” Journal of Adolescent Health, 59(4), pp. S49–S60. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.06.020.

Colizzi, M., Lasalvia, A. and Ruggeri, M. (2020) “Prevention and Early Intervention in Youth Mental Health: Is It Time for a Multidisciplinary and Trans-Diagnostic Model for Care?” International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 14(1). DOI: 10.1186/s13033-020-00356-9.