A conceptual framework for psychosocial health management grounded in the therapeutic merits of indigenous KhoiSan health dialogues

Abstract

Background: The researchers established that an indigenous KhoiSan community functions healthily without western mental health services. This community relies on indigenous healthcare with positive health outcomes over centuries. Despite this positive evidence, the community’s therapeutic achievements have not been explored previously.

Aim: To explore the therapeutic merits embedded in dialogues of healing to formulate a generic approach to managing psychosocial challenges.

Setting: The study was conducted in an indigenous KhoiSan community, Northern Cape province, South Africa.

Methods: A qualitative approach, by using an indigenous African research design, was followed. An African Indigenous Health Research Framework (AIHRF) was employed, particularly applying a classical African indigenous method of data-collection, namely orature. Theoretical sampling was used for the purpose that the emerging data guide the researcher to the next participants. The four-step analysis of the mentioned framework was deployed for data analysis.

Results: It was deduced that the therapeutic merits of dialogues go beyond the word of mouth, leading to the emergence of themes related to the successful management of psychosocial health challenges in the KhoiSan community.

Conclusion: These findings were used to generate a baseline conceptual framework for the management of psychosocial challenges in the KhoiSan community.

Contribution: Revitalisation of communal indigenous practices for the management of psychosocial health challenges within the KhoiSan community. The latter will sensitise research, teaching and learning to foster culturally informed counseling approaches. Moreover, these will inform policy formations to posses a culturally competent approach towards indigenous communities such as the KhoiSan community in the Northern Cape, South Africa.