Citation

Jordans MJ, Komproe IH, Tol WA, Susanty D, Vallipuram A, Ntamatumba P, Lasuba AC, de Jong JT. Community Ment. Health J. 2011; 47(3): 267-277.

Affiliation

Department of Research and Development, HealthNet TPO, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. mjordans@healthnettpo.org

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10597-010-9301-9

PMID

20306132

PMCID

PMC3087085

Abstract

Psychosocial and mental health service delivery frameworks for children in low-income countries are scarce. This paper presents a practice-driven evaluation of a multi-layered community-based care package in Burundi, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Sudan, through a set of indicators; (a) perceived treatment gains; (b) treatment satisfaction; (c) therapist burden; (d) access to care; (e) care package costs. Across four settings (n = 29,292 children), beneficiaries reported high levels of client satisfaction and moderate post-treatment problem reductions. Service providers reported significant levels of distress related to service delivery. Cost analyses demonstrated mean cost per service user to vary from 3.46 to 17.32 depending on country and specification of costs. The results suggest a multi-layered psychosocial care package appears feasible and satisfactory in reaching out to substantial populations of distressed children through different levels of care. Future replication should address therapist burden, cost reductions to increase sustainability and increase evidence for treatment efficacy.

Language: en