Mental health

Collaborative projects that focus on strengthening access and quality of mental health care for adults and adolescents and children.

Current projects

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Asenze

The impact of changes in social determinants of health on adolescent and young adult mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study of the Asenze cohort in South Africa.

The Asenze Study is a longitudinal, population-based study following children from early childhood into adolescence in peri-urban and peri-rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal. The study examines child health, neurodevelopment, behaviour, household and caregiver wellbeing, and broader social outcomes, with a focus on factors such as HIV, nutrition, education, and family functioning. The Asenze Impilo sub-study explores adolescent and young adult mental health, particularly in the context of COVID-19, and evaluates the acceptability of targeted interventions.

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Barriers and Facilitators in Implementation of Task Sharing Mental Health Strategies (BeFITS-MH)

Task-sharing strategies for mental health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often face implementation challenges, but existing measures typically focus on a single aspect or stakeholder and lack validation in LMIC contexts. There is a need for a reliable, multi-dimensional tool to assess barriers and facilitators across multiple stakeholders.

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Community Mental health Education and Detection tool for adolescents and children (CMED-C)

The CMED-C study addresses the lack of community-based mental health screening and limited mental health literacy among children, adolescents, and caregivers in South Africa. It aims to develop a practical tool to improve understanding of mental health, support early detection of possible conditions, and strengthen pathways to care for young people aged 6–18 and their families.

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DASH

Research Network for Design and Evaluation of Adolescent Health Interventions and Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa face significant health challenges across nutrition, physical activity, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health, including exposure to violence. Limited population-level data and insufficiently targeted interventions hinder effective policy and program responses in the region.

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ENHANCE

Development and evaluation of a targeted, integrated, coherent and people-centred approach to the management of multimorbidity in South African primary healthcare

The ENHANCE study aims to co-produce and evaluate a scalable health system intervention to improve care for people living with multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs) in South Africa. It seeks to balance clinical evidence with patient needs, community preferences, and local health system realities. The project is a collaboration between UKZN, King’s College London, and the Knowledge Translation Unit at the University of Cape Town.

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Mental health integration programme (MhINT Scale-up)

The CRH is collaborating with the Anova Health Institute to provide technical support to scale up the MhINT programme and SMhINT materials to 17 primary healthcare clinics each in the Northern Cape and Limpopo provinces.

Effective mental health care at primary care level requires trained personnel capable of delivering evidence-based counselling for depression, anxiety, and adherence. In low-resource settings, gaps in training, supervision, and ongoing support limit programme effectiveness.

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MhINT Recovery

Mental health INTegration programme

Severe mental illness following post-acute hospital discharge in South Africa

The MhINT Recovery project addresses the high rates of repeated hospitalisation among people living with severe mental illness in South Africa. It aims to develop and test a sustainable, evidence-based intervention that supports recovery and continuity of care after discharge from acute psychiatric hospitalisation, particularly within resource-limited health systems.

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People-Centred Community Health Project

Strengthening the health system for a people-centred community orientation in South Africa.

Rising multimorbidity in South Africa highlights the need for resilient, people-centred health systems. Weaknesses in health system pillars and limited multi-sectoral approaches reduce the ability of systems to respond effectively to syndemics and complex health needs.

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The Primary Health Care Transformation Committee (PHCTC)

The Primary Health Care Transformation Committee (PHCTC) is a learning collaborative in KwaZulu-Natal that drives health system reform to strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) and revitalise Community-Oriented Primary Care (COPC). Established in 2018 through a partnership between the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health and UKZN’s Centre for Rural Health, the PHCTC promotes evidence-based decision-making and shared learning to improve people-centred health services.