Springer Child Behavioral Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards Evidence Generation and Policy Development

This book highlights the emerging research and policy development efforts to address child and adolescent behavioral health in Sub-Saharan Africa, where mental health policy is at an early stage and in need of context-specific attention to its successes and shortcomings. A diverse range of researchers, with expertise on relevant policy in both the region as a whole and country-specific contexts, including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda, outline theoretically informed, culturally appropriate, evidence-based, and youth- and family-focused service models. The first work of its kind with an exclusive focus on the understudied region of Sub-Saharan Africa, this text: Provides an overview of the current state of child and adolescent behavioral health in the region Evaluates empirical work on risk and protective factors influencing behavioral outcomes Highlights emerging intervention research and dialogue on what works to improve child and adolescent behavioral health Offers insight and strategies on how to advance child and adolescent behavioral health in policy, research, and practice Child Behavioral Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards Evidence Generation and Policy Development is a unique reference that offers guidance for current and future policy-makers, researchers, practitioners, and students as they seek to invest and engage in the healthy development of a future generation.  Review “This book is the first work of its kind with an exclusive focus on the understudied region of Sub-Saharan Africa. The chapters highlight the current state of policy and research evidence both in the region as a whole and in country-specific contexts … .” (brownschool.wustl.edu, January 24, 2022) From the Back Cover This book highlights the emerging research and policy development efforts to address child and adolescent behavioral health in Sub-Saharan Africa, where mental health policy is at an early stage and in need of context-specific attention to its successes and shortcomings. A diverse range of researchers, with expertise on relevant policy in both the region as a whole and country-specific contexts, including Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda, outline theoretically informed, culturally appropriate, evidence-based, and youth- and family-focused service models. The first work of its kind with an exclusive focus on the understudied region of Sub-Saharan Africa, this text: Provides an overview of the current state of child and adolescent behavioral health in the region Evaluates empirical work on risk and protective factors influencing behavioral outcomes Highlights emerging intervention research and dialogue on what works to improve child and adolescent behavioral health Offers insight and strategies on how to advance child and adolescent behavioral health in policy, research, and practice Child Behavioral Health in Sub-Saharan Africa: Towards Evidence Generation and Policy Development is a unique reference that offers guidance for current and future policy-makers, researchers, practitioners, and students as they seek to invest and engage in the healthy development of a future generation.  About the Author Fred M. Ssewamala, PhD is William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Ssewamala leads innovative, interdisciplinary research that informs, develops and tests economic empowerment and social protection interventions aimed at improving life chances and long-term developmental impacts for children and adolescent youth impacted by poverty and health disparities in low-resource communities. He holds a joint appointment in the Washington University School of Medicine, and directs the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD) and SMART Africa Center. Currently, Dr. Ssewamala is conducting five large-scale longitudinal randomized