Examining the integration of psychological interventions at Primary Health Care (PHC) centers in Kampala: current practices, opportunities and barriers

Abstract

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