School of Psychology (SPsy.) Collections

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 329
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    Examining the integration of psychological interventions at Primary Health Care (PHC) centers in Kampala: current practices, opportunities and barriers
    (Makerere University, 2025) Akwarat, Eric
    Mental health care in Uganda continued to face challenges, with Primary Health Care (PHC) centres often serving as the first point of contact for individuals in distress but offering limited psychological support. This study examined the integration of psychological interventions at PHC centres in Kampala by exploring current practices, opportunities, and barriers. Guided by a qualitative phenomenological design, ten PHC staff were purposively selected, and data were collected through in-depth interviews. The latest version of Atlas.Ti 25.0.1 was employed for thematic analysis and codebook development to ensure a systematic interpretation of the data. The findings revealed that psychological support at PHC centres largely involved basic counselling, referral systems, and community health education. Opportunities for integration included motivated health workers, growing community demand, and government commitment through mental health policies. However, inadequate training, limited resources, high patient load, and persistent stigma emerged as barriers. The study concluded that successful integration of psychological interventions at PHCs required enhanced training of health workers, resource allocation, strengthened referral pathways, and consistent policy implementation to ensure that mental health was prioritized as an integral part of Uganda's primary health system
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    Psychosocial narratives of democracy: How anxiety shapes public attitudes towards the upcoming Ugandan elections
    (Makerere University, 2025) Beinamaryo, Caroline
    This purpose of the study was to investigate the psychosocial impact of election-related anxiety among Ugandans, with a particular focus on understanding how such anxiety shapes public attitudes towards democracy and civic participation. Drawing from qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, the research explores the underlying sources of anxiety such as state-sanctioned insecurity, electoral mistrust, and media-fueled fear and how these stressors influence individual behavior, political engagement, and coping strategies. The findings reveal a complex interplay between historical trauma, fear of retaliation, civic disengagement, and diminished trust in democratic processes. Participants articulated adaptive responses including spiritual resilience, community solidarity, and emotional withdrawal. The study is grounded in the capability approach and trauma-informed frameworks, offering new insights into the socio-emotional landscape of political life in Uganda. It advocates for policy-oriented interventions such as trauma-sensitive civic education, mental health outreach before and after elections, and the development of safer platforms for civic expression. This research contributes to both academic literature and practical programming in mental health, governance, and human rights.
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    General mental health, family health and suicidal behaviors among youth in Jinja
    (Makerere University, 2025) Motto, Eliah
    This study examined how general mental health and family health relate to suicidal behaviors among youth in Jinja, Uganda, and assessed whether family health mediates this relationship. Using a cross-sectional correlational design, data were collected from 250 participants aged 15–29 using the GHQ-12, Family Health Scale, Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire, and SBQ-R, and analyzed with SPSS v27 and Hayes’ PROCESS macro. Findings showed high psychological distress, with 47.6% of youth reporting moderate distress, 32.0% severe distress, and 20.0% mild distress. Family functioning was also poor for most respondents, with 64.8% in the poor range. Although 98% of participants were classified as low suicide risk, 2% were at high risk. Significant correlations emerged between general mental health and suicidal behaviors (r = –.208, p = .001), family health and suicidal behaviors (r = .165, p = .009), and family health and general mental health (r = –.203, p = .001). Mediation analysis further revealed that family health partially mediated the relationship between general mental health and suicidal behaviors (indirect effect = –.0121, 95% CI: –.0310, –.0008, p < .05). Overall, the results indicate that poor mental health directly elevates suicidal behaviors and that weak family functioning intensifies this risk. The findings highlight the need for interventions that strengthen both individual mental health and family environments as an integrated approach to reducing suicide risk among youth in Uganda.
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    Self esteem, emotional intelligence and happiness among adolescents in secondary schools of Mubende District
    (Makerere University, 2025) Nnakubulwa, Brendah
    This study examined the relationships between self-esteem, emotional intelligence, and happiness among adolescents in secondary schools of Mubende District, Uganda, using a cross-sectional correlational design with 215 participants. Data were collected via validated self-report measures (RSES, SSEIT, SHS) and analyzed using correlation, regression, and mediation analyses. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between self- esteem and emotional intelligence (r = .368, p < .001), with self-esteem being a significant predictor (β = .368, p < .001). However, the relationships between self-esteem and happiness (r = .108, p = .113) and emotional intelligence and happiness (r = .123, p = .072) were not statistically significant. Further, emotional intelligence did not mediate the self-esteem-happiness relationship (B = 0.045, 95% CI [-0.019, 0.120]). These findings suggest that while self-esteem is crucial for developing emotional intelligence, other factors likely play a more prominent role in influencing adolescent happiness in this context, highlighting the need for multifaceted well-being interventions in schools.
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    Work-life integration, occupational stress, and quality of life among employees in selected international humanitarian organisations
    (Makerere University, 2025) Kahuya, John Ramazani
    Humanitarian workers are faced with a lot of pressure from both the donors, hosting countries, and beneficiaries which affects their quality of life. However, little has been done in this context. The current study investigates the relationships among work-life integration, occupational stress, and quality of life among employees in international humanitarian organisations in Farchana and Adré, Eastern Chad. The study was a correlational survey design. Data was collected from a sample of 297 employees. Findings revealed a positive correlation between work-life integration and quality of life, indicating that better integration is associated with enhanced quality of life. Conversely, a significant negative correlation was found between occupational stress and quality of life, suggesting that increased stress levels correspond to diminished quality of life. Additionally, a negative significant relationship emerged between work-life integration and occupational stress, the relationship between work-life integration and quality of life was found to be partially mediated by occupational stress. These results underscore that higher levels of work-life integration are significantly associated with both lower occupational stress and improved quality of life among employees in International Humanitarian Organisations. Therefore, promoting work-life integration strategies within these organizations may serve as a crucial intervention to enhance employee well-being and reduce occupational stress.