Factors critical for implementing a sustainable depression intervention in faith-based settings

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Services Research
• Community-Based Interventions

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, depression, and femicide are interconnected, disproportionately impacting Black women survivors needing culturally responsive care.
• The Black church is a trusted community resource with potential for delivering depression care to these survivors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To plan the implementation of a sustainable mental health intervention.
• To support depressed intimate partner violence survivors seeking help within faith-based organizations.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 30 in-depth interviews with Black women IPV survivors, clergy/lay leaders, and mental health providers.
• Utilized the Integrated Sustainability Framework (ISF) to guide protocol development and analysis.
• Employed inductive-deductive thematic analysis to identify key factors.

Main Results:

• Identified critical factors across five ISF domains: outer/community context (funding, sociopolitical climate), inner/church context (pastoral support, champions, resources), processes (stepped care, training), intervention characteristics (need, adaptability, fit), and provider characteristics (discretion, competence).
• Survivors emphasized the need for discreet, psychologically healthy, and proficient lay health providers.
• Clergy and lay leaders highlighted the need for pastoral support, program champions, and organizational resources.

Conclusions:

• Findings outline essential elements for developing and implementing sustainable mental health solutions for depressed IPV survivors in the Black church.
• Collaborative approaches addressing nuanced needs and cultural preferences are fundamental for achieving mental health equity for this marginalized community.