Community perceptions of mental health needs: a qualitative study in the Solomon Islands

Table 1 Main problems by community group

Problem*	Community leaders	Older men	Older women	Young men	Young women
Excessive drinking/Drunkenness	X	X	X	X	X
Smoking marijuana	X	X		X	X
Antisocial behaviour – Swearing and shouting	X	X	X	X	X
Fighting	X	X	X	X	X
Domestic violence	X	X	X
Disagreements within the family	X	X	X
Jealousy		X	X		X
Extramarital affairs		X		X	X
Broken families	X
Teenage pregnancy		X	X	X	X
Children too close			X
Children left to roam			X
Single mothers					X
School dropouts					X
Students struggling at school	X		X
Struggle to make a living	X		X		X
Land disputes	X	X
Sexual assault	X		X		X
Sorcery	X		X
Stress and worry	X		X
Lack of respect	X	X	X		X
Lack of involvement in communal activities	X	X		X
Lack of cooperation		X	X	X	X
Poor community leadership		X	X		X
Lack of government assistance	X
People traumatised	X

*Problems listed in bold indicate concerns common across the groups.
Problems identified by key informants and focus group participants. Additional problems raised at the community meeting included conflict between cultural practices and church teachings, young children drinking and smoking, stealing, child neglect, marital and family problems, and traditional enmities.

ISSN: 1752-4458