Early childhood program to promote good family mental health and wellbeing across the life course

Abstract

Linos Muvhu

By 2020, maternal depression will be the leading cause of disability among women globally (WHO, 2018). Untreated maternal mental health problems can have a wide range of effects on women, their children, partners and significant others (WHO, 2018). To promote good mental health and wellbeing for families across the life-course in a rural setting in Zimbabwe. The Mashonaland east province under Goromonzi district is a pre-urban and a rural setting in Zimbabwe. Families here face significant levels of social, mental, psychological, emotional and economic disadvantage and this contributes to a high level of parental mental illness and subsequently impacts on the development of infant mental health. Mental health literacy about the importance parenthood and infant mental health. Offering early screening at primary health care for all mental health problems and training of mental health cadres to help at primary health care is of paramount importance to mitigate these challenges. Our main aim in this program is to promote good mental health and wellbeing, starting in the earliest years of life. There is a lack of funded services to support good family mental health in Zimbabwe and our work with families in a resource poor country may have important lessons for other communities facing these challenges.