RESUMO
The objective of this study is to determine the impact of group psychological therapy (GPT) on the mental health of obstetric fistula patients. It was a comparative pre and post intervention design. All patients had GPT prior to surgery and mental health assessment conducted before and after surgical repair. There was a significant reduction in proportion of those with severe mental health status after surgery. Specifically, the proportion of those with depression score of 4 and above reduced from 71.7% to 43.4%, and those with score of less than 4 increased from 28.3 to 56.6 percent. There was a significant reduction in those with very low self-esteem from 65.0% to 18.3%. Suicidal ideation reduced generally; severe (15.0 to 0%), moderate (16.7 to 5.0%) and mild (25.0 to 21.7%) and those without increased (43.3 to 73.3%). In conclusion, GPT is a useful adjunct to OF care as it improves their overall mental health status.