Does supporting self-help groups of people with mental conditions for longer duration lead to more effective groups? A qualitative evaluation in Ghana

Self Help Groups (SHGs) are informal groups amongst individuals that meet on a regular basis to discuss shared concerns. SHGs have become increasingly important in recent years for delivering development initiatives for both governmental and non-governmental organizations. To strengthen SHGs, BasicNeeds-Ghana, identified SHGs of people with mental health conditions across the country and provided them with skilled training and support. While some of these SHGs only received help for the first year, others had additional support for the second and third years. The study was conducted to compare the effects of the varying levels of support on the operations and effectiveness of SHGs in five regions in Ghana. Stratified purposive sampling technique was employed in the selection of SHGs for 32 focus group discussions (14 among SHG members who received support for year one only and 18 among those who received additional support in year two and three) and 26 interviews. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. With the aid of the NVivo 14, the data was coded using the constructs of the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. The results showed that SHGs that received support for more than one year were more functionally effective and performed better than those who received support for year one only. The additional training in leadership offered to SHGs in the second and third year built the capacity of members to negotiate and advocate for their engagement with governmental organizations. Regular engagements with governmental agencies motivated SHG members to attend meetings and increased their confidence to participate and engage with governmental agencies and community. The study concludes that duration of support provided to self help groups of people with mental conditions could improve the operational effectiveness. To sustain group development and to achieve growth in self-help activities, pathways for strategic support and capacity-building need to be in place at the start of the set-up.