Assessing effects of Covid-19 Responses on mental health in Malawi

The aim of this research project is to assess the effects of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) responses on mental health in Malawi. COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered strain of Coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which originated from Wuhan, China. Covid-19 has wreak havoc in countries with underdeveloped health systems. Of particular interest to this research is the effect of COVID-19 responses on mental health services. Mental health or psychological well-being is an integral part of an individual's capacity to lead a fulfilling life, including the ability to form and maintain relationships, to study, work or pursue leisure interests, and to make day-to-day decisions about education, employment, housing or other choices. Disturbances to a person's mental well-being can adversely compromise this capacity and the choices made, leading not only to diminished functioning at the individual level, but also to broader welfare losses for the household and society. As such this study investigates the impact of Covid-19 on mental health (fear, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of vulnerable populations such as health workers and adolescents. The study also investigates cultural norms that lead to perceptions of disease and mental health in Malawi. Finally the research project will implement awareness campaigns of the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and the importance of seeking mental health services. By the end of the study, we hope to (1) enhance research on mental health status in Malawi; (2) increase engagement with stakeholders (health practitioners, policy makers, law makers, academia, and government officials) on issues of mental health and COVID-19; (3) increase awareness on COVID-19 and its effects on mental health of the general population as well specific populations; and (4) add knowledge on the existing cultural/social norms that may play a role in the transmission of COVID-19 in Malawi. Expected Outputs 1. Publications - this project will produce journal articles to be published in local or international peer-reviewed journals. 2. Conference presentations - this project will encourage and financially support paper presentations in international or local conferences. 3. Policy briefs - the findings of this project will inform two policy briefs, one on Covid-19 and mental health of health workers and another on Covid-19 and mental health of adolescents. 4. Public lectures - this project will conduct public lecturers in each of Malawi's four regions to discuss negative effects of COVID-19 people's mental health, and how best to combat them. 5. Website - this project will establish an open website, which will host a blog and have social media sharing capabilities to aid research dissemination on COVID-19 and its intervention.