Dipo is a historical rites of passage among the Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The goal of Dipo is to assist pubertal girls in transitioning into adulthood by shaping moral values and social responsibilities, learning home management skills, and by preventing risky sexual behavior. Differences in psychological distress among girls who had and had not participated in Dipo were examined in the current study. The sample included 145 adolescent females, 80 Dipo initiates and, 65 nonDipo initiates. Participants, 12 to 20 years of age, were recruited from junior and senior high schools and administered a questionnaire with measures of psychological distress, a sex role inventory, and a measure of favorability of Dipo. Findings revealed that Dipo initiates reported significantly less psychological distress than noninitiates. Dipo initiates also reported more favorable attitudes about Dipo than noninitiates. Although this study is preliminary, findings suggest that Dipo may be useful for increasing psychological well-being. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Dipo是加纳东部地区克罗波人之间通行的历史仪式。Dipo的目标是通过塑造道德价值观和社会责任，学习家庭管理技能以及防止危险的性行为，来帮助青春期的女孩过渡到成年。在本研究中，研究了参加和未参加过Dipo的女孩在心理困扰方面的差异。样本包括145名青春期女性，80名Dipo同修和65名非Dipo同修。从初中和高中招募了12至20岁的参与者，并对其进行了问卷调查，包括心理困扰，性别角色清单和对Dipo的好感度。调查结果表明，Dipo发起人的心理困扰明显少于非发起人。Dipo同修还报道了对Dipo的态度要比非同修好。尽管这项研究是初步的，但研究结果表明Dipo可能有助于增加心理健康。提供了未来研究的建议。