Qualitative Research Report

Literature Review

The perception of community consists of the progress of human ecologies and the process of evolving of social relations and values that hypothesizes the development of a community (Chavis & Newbrough, 1986). During the years, the notion of community has been renovated relating to cultural, socio- economic, ideological and historical elements (Coimbra, Duckett, Fryer, Makkawi, Menezes, Seedat, & Walker, 2012), however, this has also lead to the conceptualisation of the following subtleties, including classism, sexism, racism, patriarchy and in return, have constituted the stemming of mental health issues (Coimbra et al., 2012).

Through this, it has come to the attention of many researchers that the founding of a rural community, is regarded as a significant project that requires to be addressed in terms of the psychological assistance that will benefit many of the individuals who suffer a variety of both health and mental health problems, for e.g. African rural societies. In sum, this research paper will solely focus on how the impression of Psychology can influence rural communities within Africa who are disadvantaged, remote and victimised, and who are considered liable for ratings of unemployment, social exclusion, and censured for their chosen way of living (Boaduo, 2011).

Previous research has been conducted between Psychology and rural communities; however, there seems to be limited insight about the connection between rural communities in Africa and the need to assist with mental health and various components that that affect this. It has also been conveyed that mental health services in South Africa have redirected broader components such as class, race, urban rural inequalities and gender (Naidoo, 2000). A such, it has also come to attention that Africans have limited access to acceptable and relevant mental health amenities, thus unable to gain and grow their individualities such as self- reliance, human dignity and self- sufficient traits that allows them to cope within their environment (Boaduo, 2011).

Consequently, many African communities show neglect in relation to mental health (Naidoo, 2012), with majority of issues being linked to other concerns, such as sexual behaviours, which puts an individual at risk, specifically regarding the HIV epidemic (Lundberg, Rukundo, Thorson, Ashaba, Allebeck, Östergren, & Cantor-Graae, 2011). In relation to this, an experiment was conducted to explore the relationship between mental health and sexual behaviours in low- income countries (Lundberg et al., 2011), a topic that has yet to be recognized, as opposed to Westernised countries, with high- income and other beneficial factors that contribute to this study.

Researchers, Lundberg, Rukundo, Thorson, Ashaba, Allebeck, Östergren, & Cantor-Graae (2011), concluded a positive correlation between mental health symptoms and high risk of sexual behaviours, which demonstrated a strong link towards the male population. Ultimately, as the research was the first cross-sectional study to focus on this topic, it was conveyed that present findings are dependable with traits of psychological distress and risky behaviours within low- income African communities; however, it is imperative that longitudinal studies should also be fulfilled for future reference (Lundberg et al., 2011).

Sequentially, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between Psychology and rural communities, specifically the minor communities within Africa. Through this, the research will focus on other factors that will demonstrate a clear understanding of how disadvantaged groups are affected not only mentally, but emotional and physically, as well. In relation to the topic presented, individuals will be able to conclude how psychological assistance will benefit those that require assistance when trying to maintain their mental health with limited resources presented.

Rational and Aim

The rationale of this research focuses on the disadvantage rural communities experience in relation to mental health support and the lack of resources that is provided to the individuals who are unable to access the proper channels, in order to receive the help they require. This is recognised as an important matter, due to the partial acknowledgement that mental health is presented with, when discussing areas that are more detrimental than others. The aim of this research will focus on the limited psychological support within rural of areas of Africa and the affect it has on individuals who suffer from poor mental health issues.

Research Design

Within this study, the method implemented will allow the readers to grasp a deeper insight of the topic at hand, thus increasing their understanding of the limited psychological occurrences that are available to the less fortunate communities. Through qualitative research, it will allow others to obtain an image of the world around them, such as the African rural communities and the limited mental health assistance that is accessible within their society. Furthermore, by employing a realist approach, this will portray the social and psychosomatic environments that can be identified through the recordings of the research at hand.

The main method that will help establish this research consists of the social constructionist approach. This approach has been selected due to the experiences that individuals have endured and the genuine knowledge that they are able to portray. This method is also known to adopt a manner that not only describes ones experiences, but also stating information that may or may not be viewed as socially obtainable within certain communities, for e.g. the lack of mental health awareness within rural populations. Due to the nature of this research, embracing this principle deems suitable towards the steps taken to carry out the research. Additionally, other elements are also incorporated within this research, such as principled guidelines and considerations, the collection and interpretation of data and the consecutive methodology integrated throughout the entire research study.

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