Théogène-Octave Gakuba

Psychological undertones of family poverty in rural communities in Cameroon : resilience and coping strategies

The objectives of this exploratory study were to investigate (a) the effects of poverty, and (b) family resilience strategies used in managing poverty among the Bakweri of Bonavada villages in Cameroon. Fifty heads of families comprising 250 persons constituted the participants of the study. Ten of the family heads who are opinion leaders were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide and ten participated in a focus group discussion. In addition, an unstructured interview was used to collect data from 40 heads of families. Data were analysed using content analysis and descriptively using percentages. The study found that the effects of family poverty are multifaceted, and families depend largely on resilience and their socio-cultural context to cope with poverty.

Résidents inattendus : trajectoires, dilemmes et situations de vie des Africains et Latino-Américains âgés en Suisse francophone

Cet article analyse les trajectoires, dilemmes et situations de vie des Africains et Latino-Americains âges residant en Suisse. Il combine une perspective de parcours de vie avec la sociologie des migrations afin de mieux comprendre les realites de ces personnes. Sur la base d’entretiens biographiques avec 38 personnes âgees de 55 ans et plus, une typologie est proposee. Quatre types sont distingues : les transnationaux, les incertains entre ici et la-bas, les stables dans la societe de residence, les promoteurs de projet dans leur societe d’origine. L’article permet ainsi de mieux saisir les conditions de vie des populations minoritaires peu connues des politiques sociales et des travailleurs sociaux.

Mental Health and Resilience of Young African Women Refugees in Urban Context (Abidjan—Ivory Coast and Dakar—Senegal)

Introduction: This chapter explores the mental health and resilience of young women refugees in an urban context in Africa. We studied this topic within our research regarding “young African refugees in urban context: psychosocial, identity and resilience: Comparative research between Africa (Abidjan, Ivory-Coast, and Dakar-Senegal) and Europe (Geneva, Switzerland)” (We conducted the research, “Young African refugees in urban context”: psychosocial, identity and resilience: Comparative research between Africa (Abidjan, Ivory-Coast, and Dakar-Senegal) and Europe (Geneva, Switzerland) from 2011 to 2013. The research was supported by a grant from The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (Codesria—Dakar) and The Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences for the financial support (Switzerland). Principal investigators are Theogene-octave Gakuba in Geneva, Mohamadaou Sall in Dakar, and Gilbert Fokou in Abidjan. Kouakou Christiane was research assistant in Abidjan. This research is not yet published).

Antenatal Depression in Immigrant Women: a Culturally Sensitive Prevention Program in Geneva (Switzerland)

Introduction: Immigrant women in developed countries experience worse pregnancy outcomes than native women and are at high risk for antenatal depression and anxiety. Stresses related to the immigration and lack of cultural support affect emotional well-being, a situation calling for a response from primary caregivers and healthcare policies.