Breaking the silence: housing and psychosocial health inequalities in three urban neighbourhoods of Accra, Ghana

Abstract

Housing and health inequalities scholarship in Ghana, as in many developing countries, has mainly focused on the urban environmental health aspects of human settlements, and related health inequalities. Studies about housing-related psychosocial health inequalities of residents are scant. This study is a contribution to addressing this gap. It investigates the pathways between housing and the psychosocial health status of residents in three contrasting urban neighbourhoods in the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Survey and narrative inquiry research provide insights into the stark contrast in reported psychosocial health among the neighbourhoods. Differences in psychosocial health are then related to the mechanisms of differentiation in housing-market capacities; the mechanisms of differentiation in housing needs gaps, arising from discrepancies between achieved housing spaces and desired housing space needs; and the mechanisms of differentiation in coping and adjustment strategies of housing. The policy implications of the study for addressing the significant psychosocial housing distress are presented in the conclusion.