Potential Development for Mental Health Care of Village Health Volunteers, Nong Lek subdistrict, Sikhoraphum District, Surin province

Abstract

This action research aimed to develop the capacity of village health volunteers (VHVs) in mental health care in Nong Lek Subdistrict, Sikhoraphum District, Surin Province. The research was divided into three phases: Phase 1: Study of the local context Phase 2: The process of PAOR concept of Kemmis & McTaggart is carried out including planning, implementation, observation and reflection. Phase 3: The results of the development of the model for developing the capacity of VHVs in mental health care. The participants were selected using purposive sampling and divided into two groups. The first group consisted of 32 stakeholders involved in the development process, including personnel from the Sikhoraphum District Public Health Office, mental health and psychiatric departments of Sikhoraphum Hospital, local health promotion hospitals, the Subdistrict Administrative Organization, community leaders, and the chairperson of the VHVs. The second group consisted of 33 VHVs working in the Nong Lek Subdistrict Health Promotion Hospital service area using focus group discussion records, questionnaires, and behavioral observation forms. Data were collected from 33 VHVs working in the Nong Lek Subdistrict Health Promotion Hospital service area. Research instruments included focus group discussion records, questionnaires, and behavioral observation forms. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Mean not scores before and after the intervention were analyzed using the paired t-test. The findings revealed that the developed model, named the PPRRCE Model, consisted of six key components: 1) P=Promotion 2) P=Prevention 3) R=Relief 4) R=Referral 5) C=Care  and 6) E=Empowerment. The comparison of VHVs’ knowledge and practices before and after the intervention revealed a significant improvement in their mental health care capacity, with a statistical significance level of 0.05. These findings suggest that the PPRRCE Model can be effectively applied in other settings to enhance the capacity of VHVs in providing mental health care and to improve timely and equitable access to mental health services in community contexts.