Session: Promoting Child Mental Health Outcomes in High Poverty, High HIV Risk Regions of Sub-Saharan Africa: Examining Child Risk and Protective Factors (Society for Prevention Research 22nd Annual Meeting)

Implicit in the core of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is the importance of improving the mental health and well-being of children in the developing world. To accomplish these goals in contexts of high rates of poverty, HIV, and HIV-related death and illness we must develop a thorough understanding of the developmental epidemiology of risks and protective processes of children’s development in the face of adversity.

Developmental theory and research has shown that human development occurs within multiple contexts, each uniquely and interactively influencing individuals’ developmental trajectories (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). Although the influence of multiple contexts and multiple risks is widely acknowledged, most studies have been carried out in high-income countries. Thus, a clear understanding is lacking around the impact in developing countries of (1) child risk factors across multiple levels, (2) the impact of risks on child mental health and well being, and (3) potential protective processes that may moderate the impact of risks. The aims of this symposium are (1) to generate a discussion about multilevel multidimensional risks across contexts, and (2) to explore potential protective processes that may provide unique opportunities for prevention efforts to improve socio-emotional development. The implications of these studies will also be discussed to build an understanding of ways risk can be minimized through policy, preventative intervention and practice.

The proposed symposium integrates three papers that explore multidimensional and multilevel approaches to examining risks and protective factors that influence children’s socio-emotional development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Data come from two multidisciplinary studies conducted in the three countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of South Africa and Uganda. Study one examines the protective nature of a positive school environment as a buffer for the relationship of a child’s experience of a death in their household and the child’s mental health in a low-income sample of 7 to 10 year olds in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Study two uses the same sample to examine the extent to which receipt of an unconditional cash transfer moderates the relationship between cumulative risks and children’s experience of posttraumatic stress symptomlogy. Finally, study three uses a sample of primary and secondary school students in the DRC and Uganda to compare the socio-emotional climate and support that primary and secondary school students receive in the classroom across the countries.

The goal of this symposium is to provide preventionist and interventionists with a deeper understanding of potential protective processes that promote children’s mental health and well-being in high risk contexts. Through a focus on factors protective of children’s mental health and well-being, this symposium aims to present findings of efforts, that when bridged together, improve the daily lives of children in Sub-Saharan Africa.