Mental health issues, coping mechanisms and interventions: The case of Ghanaian students in Special Needs Schools

Mental health challenges, coping strategies and interventions among Ghanaian university students living with disability are well-researched. However, little or no study exists in relation to pre-university students with disabilities (SWD) in the Special Need Schools (SNS). Therefore, this study explored the mental health challenges, coping mechanisms and available interventions of SWD in SNS. Purposive sampling was employed to select 15 students (males = 5; females = 10) living with disability in the SNS. Inductive qualitative method using in-person semi-structured interviews was used to explore their mental health challenges, coping mechanisms and available interventions. The challenges revealed were academic anxiety and depression. These students resort to familial support, religious activities, self-entertainment and teachers’ support as a way of navigating their mental health challenges. Although the study highlighted the presence of school counselling services as the main source of intervention, the counsellor-client ratio was high. The study recommends collaboration among school management, families, and professional mental health practitioners to provide holistic mental health support for these students. Furthermore, general mental health training for teachers to help address the basic psychosocial needs of these students is needed. The counsellor-client ratio must also be addressed in the SNS setting.