Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Randy S. Heinrich

Abstract

Around the world, the use of acupuncture is increasingly becoming a common alternative treatment for the symptoms often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the treatment of acupuncture appears to be lacking in Ghana because mental health professionals, patients, and the government representatives are largely unaware of its potential efficacy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of acupuncture treatment on patients with PTSD in Ghana. The study was conducted through the lens of psycho-physiological trauma. A research question was formulated to investigate the association between the independent variable, acupuncture treatment, and the dependent variable, the level of self-reported stress. A causal-comparative research study design was employed using primary data collected from 80 PTSD patients via the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS). Research data were analyzed using a Jonckheere-Terpstra test, bivariate statistics, and Kendall’s Tau-b correlation coefficient. The responses indicate mixed results given by participants between acupuncture treatment and self-reported stress levels displayed to be effective and ineffective. Future studies should examine the efficacy of acupuncture on other mental illnesses in Ghana. The implications for positive social change include informing the Ghana’s government, mental health policymakers, mental health professionals, and Ghanaians about the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for PTSD and improving the mental health of Ghanaian citizens. If adopted in the Ghanaian mental health landscape, acupuncture treatment programs will provide Ghanaian citizens suffering from PTSD with an additional treatment option.

Download

Share

 
COinS