article · International Research Journal of Public and Environmental Health
Research in teachers' colleges in Zimbabwe evaluated how integrating cultural and spiritual approaches into counselling affects depression among young adults. Gathering perspectives from 206 participants, including 180 students alongside college administrators, counsellors, and a chaplain, the study assessed therapeutic experiences through questionnaires and interviews. The findings show that incorporating cultural and spiritual perspectives into therapy is perceived to aid depression management. Reported outcomes include fewer depressive symptoms, stronger feelings of emotional support and safety, and benefits to student academic performance and personal development. To sustain these practices, the work highlights the need for recruiting and training counsellors and chaplains, improving institutional counselling spaces, and formulating a government policy framework to guide culturally and spiritually responsive mental health programmes across tertiary education.
Depression among students in higher education challenges academic progress and personal wellbeing. Aligning mental health support with local cultural and spiritual values helps create therapeutic environments where students feel understood and safe. Understanding institutional stakeholder views ensures that campus mental health interventions are practical, accepted by the community, and properly supported by training and educational policy.
This early-stage research could inform the design of specialised training curricula for tertiary counsellors, chaplains, and institutional wellness programmes. The immediate beneficiaries are higher education institutions and government policymakers seeking to standardise counselling frameworks. The work is at an exploratory stage, requiring structured policy development and formalised intervention models before it can be applied systematically across educational settings.
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This study examined the perceived effectiveness of integrating cultural and spiritual approaches into therapeutic practice to support the management of depression among young adults in teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe. The study explored the views of students and key institutional stakeholders, including vice principals, heads of departments, deans of students, a chaplain, and counsellors. The findings were intended to provide evidence that could inform interventions aimed at promoting mental health, supporting recovery, and improving the wellbeing of students experiencing depression. Guided by behavioural theory, the study adopted a post-positivist paradigm and used a mixed-methods approach with a concurrent triangulation design. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews from a sample of 206 participants, comprising 180 students, two vice principals, two deans of students, 13 heads of departments, one chaplain, and eight counsellors. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using appropriate statistical and thematic approaches. The findings suggested that integrating cultural and spiritual perspectives into therapeutic sessions may contribute positively to the management of depression among students. Reported benefits included reduced depressive symptoms, an improved sense of safety and emotional support, and positive effects on academic performance and personal development. The study recommends strengthening culturally and spiritually responsive mental health services through the recruitment and training of additional counselling personnel, including chaplains, fostering supportive institutional attitudes, and providing appropriate environments for counselling. It further recommends the development of a clear policy framework by the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development to guide counselling programmes and support the appropriate integration of cultural and spiritual approaches into student mental health services.
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DOI: 10.15739/irjpeh.26.010
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