Kees Wiebering
HealthNet International
Kosovo

Social cohesion as a contributing factor to both psychosocial problems and solutions

Cohesión social como factor contribuyente tanto para los problemas como para las soluciones psicosociales

The author was involved in developing culturally appropriate community mental health interventions in the context of the Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Cambodia and the Balkans. In each case, efforts were made to include cultural, social and historical factors on individual, group and community levels. Questions to be answered included: 1) how is social interaction affected by protracted conflict, 2) how can community interaction be rehabilitated, 3) how have events influenced the lives of people as individuals, families and as a community, 4) how do people define their needs and problems, and, 5) where do people go to find help when they feel they suffer from what we would label "psycho-social distress"?

Key questions in this study provide a better understanding of the way problems are defined by both the population in distress and the traditional resources for help. Effective interventions were then modeled according to the local characteristics and resources available. The potential for collaboration between various sectors proves to be limited in some cases, but promising in others. The key variable is social interaction and cohesion, which can be seen as both an important causal factor for psychological suffering as well as an essential avenue for effective interventions.