Telephones and the Provision of Community Based Mental Health Services in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of telephones on the provision of community based mental health services in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon. The target population of the study consisted of 405 mental health professionals working in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of the country. The study employed the sequential explanatory mixed methods research design. Quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire while a semi structured interview guide and an observational checklist were used to collect qualitative data from a sample of 300 mental health professionals. Questionnaires were completed by 275 participants while 15 participants were interviewed and 10 others were observed in the two Regions. The purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used to select the sample. Data were analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS version 26.0 for Windows. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis with the support of ATLAS.ti software version 8.0. The findings revealed that telephones r=.741, df=273, p=0.001, far 0.05 , have a positive correlation with the provision of community based mental health services. However, it was observed that inadequate airtime credit for phone calls and messages, poor electricity supply, mental health professionals' lack of training on telephone use in mental healthcare, and the lack of motivation by mental health practitioners to use telephones for service delivery are limiting factors to telephone use in the provision of community based mental health services. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to mental healthcare trainers, mental health professionals, vulnerable persons affected by mental disorders, the government and other researchers in Cameroon on measures to enhance telephone use and integration in mental healthcare research and practice. Azinwi Terence Niba | Nsagha Sarah Mboshi | Sigala Maxwell Fokum "Telephones and the Provision of Community-Based Mental Health Services in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-7 | Issue-2 , April 2023, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com.com/papers/ijtsrd55110.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com.com/humanities-and-the-arts/education/55110/telephones-and-the-provision-of-communitybased-mental-health-services-in-the-northwest-and-southwest-regions-of-cameroon/azinwi-terence-niba