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Self-regulation is a widely studied construct, generally assumed to be cognitively supported by executive functions (EFs). There is a lack of clarity and consensus over the roles of specific components of EFs in self-regulation. The current study examines the relations between performance on (a) a self-regulation task (Heads, Toes, Knees Shoulders Task) and (b) two EF tasks (Knox Cube and Beads Tasks) that measure different components of updating: working memory and short-term memory, respectively. We compared 107 8- to 13-year-old children (64 females) across demographically-diverse populations in four low and middle-income countries, including: Tanna, Vanuatu; Keningau, Malaysia; Saltpond, Ghana; and Natal, Brazil. The communities we studied vary in market integration/urbanicity as well as level of access, structure, and quality of schooling. We found that performance on the visuospatial working memory task (Knox Cube) and the visuospatial short-term memory task (Beads) are each independently associated with performance on the self-regulation task, even when controlling for schooling and location effects. These effects were robust across demographically-diverse populations of children in low-and middle-income countries. We conclude that this study found evidence supporting visuospatial working memory and visuospatial short-term memory as distinct cognitive processes which each support the development of self-regulation.

Six Ghanaian newspapers with the widest readership and distributions were selected for analysis to examine health communication themes and strategies related to alcohol and/or substance misuse and other drug-related behaviors in Ghana. Newspapers were manually searched using relevant keywords. We used thematic analysis to examine 90 articles that were identified. Content themes included (1) legal consequences, (2) adverse effects, (3) change motivation, and (4) help and support. Communication strategies included (1) articles about high-profile individuals or events, (2) narratives, (3) use of rhetoric, and (4) sensationalism. The legal consequences of misusing substances and using illicit substances were the most prevalent themes. Sensationalism was the most prevalent communication strategy. We address the benefits and limitations of the ways in which Ghanaian print media shapes the narrative about substance misuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A manifestation of coloniality in psychological science concerns the modern individualist lifeways that inform mainstream research. We report results of a multi‐method research project that investigated implications of these ways of being for the experience of love in Ghanaian settings. In particular, we investigated the hypothesis that engagement with Pentecostal Charismatic Churches (PCCs)—an important carrier of individualist lifeways in many West African settings—would be associated with a growth orientation to love as a means for mutual self‐expansion and fulfillment. In Study 1 (n = 61), growth themes and a conception of love as feeling were more evident, but sustainability themes and a conception of love as doing less evident, in interview responses of participants who reported engagement with PCCs versus Traditional Western Mission Churches (TWMCs). In Study 2 (n = 1120), family obligation, relationship harmony, and (among participants who reported daily church attendance) perception of a social norm to prioritize mother over spouse were weaker for members of PCCs than TWMCs. Results help to reveal the colonial dark side of the modern individualist lifeways that mainstream research tends to regard as a just‐natural standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research associates police work with stress and mental health challenges due to routine exposure to potentially traumatic incidents. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are under-represented in this literature. In this study, we explored the relationship between work-related potentially traumatic events and expressed trauma symptoms in a sample of 121 Ghanaian police officers. Ninety-seven (97) male and 24 female police officers participated in a semi-structured interview about on-the-job potentially traumatic events and completed a self-report measure of trauma symptoms. Overall, 71.9% of officers were exposed to at least one work-related PTE and 61.2% of officers endorsed at least one trauma. We found that dealing with traffic accidents, assaults and observing autopsy are the top critical incidents. We also found that observing autopsy and officer rank were predictive of expressed trauma. We discuss the findings within the context of a need to examine effects of potentially traumatic events on work and implications for mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ghana government instituted a ban on social gatherings, including religious gatherings. To understand how the unanticipated restrictions and interruption in normal church routines affected the well-being of congregants in Ghana, we interviewed 14 religious leaders. Thematic analysis revealed psychospiritual impacts including decline in spiritual life, loss of fellowship and community, financial difficulties, challenges with childcare, as well as fear of infection. Religious leaders intervened by delivering sermons on hope, faith, and repentance. Some religious leaders sensitized their members on health hygiene and COVID-19-related stigma. The study sheds light on the perceived impacts of COVID-19 and restrictions of religious gatherings on congregants in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted during a period of lockdown and ban on social gatherings, including religious gatherings, in Ghana. The restrictions were instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study was to understand how the well-being of Christian church leaders was impacted during the prohibition in terms of aspects of their vocation and religious practices. Fourteen Christian church leaders located in urban and rural settings in Ghana, with 5 to 32 years of experience, discussed how they and their families were impacted by the ban on religious gatherings in Ghana. Findings revealed negative impacts of the COVID-19 restrictions, including spiritual slacking, loss of fellowship, disruption of normal routine, pandemic anxiety, and financial stress. Positive impacts included increased faith, relief/reduced stress, and increased family time. These findings are discussed from psychological trauma and disaster response perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We interviewed 34 married individuals between the ages of 32 and 69 in Southern Ghana regarding conflict handling strategies they adopt in their in-law relationships. We conceptualized the strategies around face concerns. Findings from inductive thematic analysis support participant use of five main conflict handling strategies: human/divine third-party engagements, obsequious behavior, apologizing, ignoring, and confronting. These strategies map onto considerations for other-face concerns as well as mutual face concerns. Findings offer insights about conflict, face concerns, and in-law relationships within a previously understudied cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for more mental health research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LAMICs) has been repeatedly acknowledged. Yet there has been limited focus on how this goal can be achieved optimally. This paper makes the case for orienting mental health research efforts in developing countries within a strategic planning approach at a national level that recognizes the practical constraints of low resource environments, as well as methodological constraints created by factors such as low literacy levels, and the use of multiple languages. A case study of Ghana is used to illustrate how such a strategic planning model could be developed. This proposed approach should be of interest to other LAMICS in need of locally generated mental health research to inform clinical practice, mental illness prevention initiatives, and public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental help systems in Ghana are overwhelmed with severe and chronic mental health issues. Yet, rapid urbanisation is contributing to a weakening of traditional help systems. Religious organisations offer a viable option through counselling ministries and groups. To understand the role lay counselling plays in the help system in Ghana, we interviewed one hundred (N = 100; age range: 24–80) lay counsellors practising mainly in Christian and Islamic religious contexts across four urban centres in Ghana. The purpose was to examine what people seek counselling for; and assess how this legitimatises lay counselling as part of the existing system of care in Ghana. Findings show that most presenting problems are interpersonal in nature and are typically low level, non-life threatening issues. Presenting problems did not focus on mental disorders. The implications of these findings are discussed along with directions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined marital forgiveness among 40 married individuals from southern Ghana. Analysis revealed various conceptualizations of forgiveness: (1) removal of negative emotions; (2) relationship restoration; (3) forgetting; (4) revenge, punishment, or retaliation avoidance; (5) refraining from making future references to the offense; and (6) minimizing the offense. Three reasons for granting forgiveness were observed: marital stability; marital harmony; and personal well-being. The process of granting forgiveness was partly influenced by Ghanaian culture and differed for men and women. Participants emphasized bodily expressions and gestures (e.g., "kneeling") in the forgiveness process, and more women than men demanded pacification when they were wronged. The findings have implications for understanding and improving marital relationships of individuals with African ancestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experimental study extends the geographical focus of empirical investigations of what makes life good to Ghana, West Africa. Data were collected from a sample of 189 Ghanaian college students (19–49 years old). A 2 (income: high vs. low) × 2 (happiness: high vs. low) × 2 (meaning: high vs. low) experimental design was used to investigate factors related to judgements about the good life. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test the study's hypotheses. The results highlighted that similar to previous research, concepts of happiness and meaning are central to the conceptualization of the good life in Ghana. Unlike previous studies however, quality of life, desirability, and perception of the good life were not significantly intercorrelated. The findings suggest that while some factors may consistently predict the good life across diverse cultural settings, complementary consideration of culturally constructed meaning systems may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adinkra symbols are a collection of Akan patterns that have significance in the African Diaspora. Aesthetically pleasing, these symbols are used to adorn a variety of items used in everyday life, such as fabric and furniture. Although the Adinkra symbols communicate specific messages about a variety of social behaviours, and expectations about how members of society ought to conduct themselves, the intersection between the meaning of the symbols and social rules about the experience and expression of affect has hitherto not been given much attention in the literature. Our examination of affect-related messages encapsulated within Adinkra symbols showed that they encourage the maintenance of social harmony and conflict avoidance; address expectations about coping with adversity by promoting values of tenacity and hardiness; promote awe and respect of human and spiritual authority, and promote feelings of love, care and security. These messages are instrumental for the regulation of emotion in the Akan society of Ghana, and may have similar cultural significance for the African-American community which recognizes the important of the symbols as their connection to Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Print media plays an important role in the circulation of information in contemporary Ghanaian society. We thematically examined the content of 164 mental health-related articles published between 2000 and 2015 in six widely circulating Ghanaian newspapers. The articles included investigative reports related to specific public events and incidents; advice columns; editorials; and didactic pieces. The articles covered the following four major topics: (1) Mental health awareness and advocacy; (2) Suicide; (3) Donations; and (4) Religion. Our findings demonstrate that Ghanaian newspapers promote awareness about mental disorders; advocate for those with mental disorders; provide mostly accurate basic knowledge about the nature and management of specific disorders; and inform the public about the state of mental health care in Ghana. We also observed that newspapers serve as a medium through which social representations of mental disorder in society are circulated, and in which tensions between common sense views and evidence-based information on mental health are expressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile Money (MM) is now a popular medium of exchange and store of value in parts of Africa, Latin America and Asia. As payment modalities emerge, consumer preferences for different payment tools evolve. Our study examines the preference for, and use of MM and other payment forms in both Ghana and Zambia. Our multi-method investigation indicates that while MM preference and awareness is high, scope of use is low in Ghana and Zambia. Cash remains the predominant mode of business transaction in both countries. Increased merchant acceptability is needed to improve the MM ecology in these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to investigate continuities and discontinuities between traditional and modern representations of womanhood and female gender roles focusing primarily on family and work settings. Using approaches informed by Sociology, Cultural Psychology, and African Studies, the paper explores traditional views of womanhood encapsulated in (and also transmitted intergenerationally) through proverbs. This customary perspective is contrasted with the results of the Everyday Lives Survey from the Pathways of Women's Empowerment Ghana project. The survey investigated the nature of everyday life- education, work, decision making, access to institutions, and autonomy in relationships-in six hundred (600) adult women in both rural and urban communities in three regions of Ghana. We argue that although the times are changing, there have only been modest disruptions in the lives of Ghanaian women as far as issues of autonomy and decision-making in are concerned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ghana’s currency was redenominated in 2007. The current study explored this transition as an example of change occurring in a cultural context. This was achieved using interviews as a window into the experiences of a sample of 40 Ghanaians who daily live in the aftermath of this change. These findings indicate that the old currency continues to play a very important role in post-redenomination Ghana. Though no longer physically present, the old currency remains an integral part of the daily financial discourse. While participants gave several reasons for this tendency, the “Sankofa—Denkyem” (retrospective adaptability) effect is introduced as a cultural framework that adequately explains the results of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The current study is a qualitative exploration of the presence of the money illusion in the lived experiences of Ghanaian adult consumers after a currency redenomination. The results indicated that a switch from the old currency to the new currency had implications for self-worth determination, trivialization of price increases, changes in spending behaviour, and changes in the extent of benevolence. All these changes were related to the tendency to make judgments based on the nominal value of an amount of money, rather than its real value; the judgment bias is known as the money illusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports data that forms part of a program of research exploring the experiences of Ghanaian consumers after the re-denomination of Ghana's currency in July 2007. Justified and publicized as being good for the country, the redenomination had significant criticism before its implementation. Interviews exploring what respondents thought about the redenomination were conducted a year after the launching of the new currency. The responses validated some of the Bank of Ghana's justifications of the process. However, several significant unanticipated consequences were reported. The responses reflected a significant change in the meaning or symbolism of money to Ghanaian consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated transgressions in the context of in-law relationships in Ghana. In-laws form an integral part of the family structure in Ghana. However, psychological studies on in-law relationships in this country are rare. The current study interviewed thirty-seven individuals, aged between 32 and 76 who had been married between 2 and 59 years, from two regions in Southern Ghana. Through semi-structured interviews, participants described transgressions in-laws commit in the context of marriage. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically. Findings revealed two major transgressions: role failure; and failure/resistance to changes in the in-law relationship. For children-in-law, failure to discharge roles as child bearers and meet financial obligations were considered as transgressions. Transgressions committed by parents-in-law include poor conflict handling, failures associated with customary postnatal care duties, privacy violations, and usurpation of daughter-in-law's cooking rights. Findings have implications for couple and family interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined premarital counseling services offered by Christian and Muslim lay counselors in Ghana. Participants including clergy, Islamic clerics, and laity practicing in four urban centers were interviewed. Thematic analysis showed that common issues covered include medical screening, beliefs and values, expectations, partner knowledge, roles and duties, sex, parenthood, financial management, communication, and conflicts. The findings offer important insight into religious premarital counseling in Ghana and contribute to the global literature on premarital counseling.