Engaging Traditional Birth Attendants to Reduce Maternal Depression in Rural Kenya

Christine Musyimi of Africa Mental Health Foundation in Kenya will engage Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) in rural Kenya to provide psycho-social interventions to mothers during the perinatal period and refer complicated cases of depression to health facilities. This approach aims to ensure accessible and acceptable basic mental health care in under-resourced areas while linking these mothers to primary health care to ensure safe deliveries and promote their mental well-being and that of the baby even after birth. TBAs were selected for this project as they are an important resource for reducing gaps related to the scarcity of mental health professionals and demanding workloads due to the high number of patients in primary health care settings as well as due to their accessibility and affordability, thereby promoting a sense of belonging to the TBAs.