Research Areas

MENTAL HEALTH,

Profile

Demoubly Kokota is a public mental health specialist who holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree (majoring in psychology) with a distinction from the University of Malawi and a Masters in Public Mental Health from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently a doctoral fellow in mental health at the Kamuzu College of Health Sciences funded by the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI). Demoubly’s main research interest is on task shifting and integration of mental health into primary health care in Africa. He is currently a lecturer of psychology at the University of Malawi and has coordinated several multi-site research projects for 10 years. He has also contributed to writing the 2020 Malawi quick guide to mental health handbook that is being used in different health centres across Malawi to assist primary healthcare workers in assessing and managing mental illnesses. Demoubly’s doctoral research is focusing on developing a collaboration model between traditional and western medicine in the care of people with mental illness in Blantyre, Malawi. RESEARCH GRANTS 2020: Landscape of Mental Health Services for Psychosis in Malawi: Principal Lead for the Wellcome Trust Psychosis Flagship Report: Landscape of Mental Health Services for Psychosis in Malawi 2021: Psychosis Recovery Orientation in Malawi by Improving Services and Engagement (PROMISE): Part of a team that has successfully secured the grant from Wellcome Innovations for a five-year study called PROMISE.

Publications

• Journal Article
  Manda-Taylor, L., E. Umar, R. C. Stewart, M. Kufankomwe, G. Chorwe-Sungani, O. C. Mwale, D. Kokota, J. Nyirenda, K. Kulisewa, and M. Pickersgill, “Developing Biopsychosocial Research on Maternal Mental Health in Malawi: Community Perspectives and Concerns,” Ethics & Human Research 43, no. 4 (2021): 11-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/eahr.500095 (2021)
  

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• Journal Article
  Kokota, D., Lund, C., Ahrens, J., Breuer, E., Gilfillan, S. (2020). Evaluation of mhGAP training for primary healthcare workers in Mulanje, Malawi: a quasi-experimental and time-series study. Int J Ment Health Systems, 14:3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-020-0337-0 (2020)
  

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• Journal Article
  Ahrens, J., Kokota, D., Mafuta, C. et al. (2020). Implementing a mhGAP-based training and supervision package to improve healthcare workers' competencies and access to mental health care in Malawi. Int J Ment Health Syst 14, 11 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-020-00345-y (2020)
  

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• Book
  2020 Malawi quick guide to mental health handbook. Scotland-Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP). (2020)
  

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• Journal Article
  Gleadow Ware, S., Daniel, A., Bandawe, C., Mulaheya, P., Nkunika, S., Nkhoma, D., Kokota, D., Stewart, R., Voskuijl, W (2018). Perceptions and experiences of caregivers of severely malnourished children receiving inpatient care in Malawi: An exploratory study. Malawi Medical Journal 30(4). DOI: https://10.4314/mmj.v30i3.7. (2018)
  

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• Journal Article
  Crabb, J., Stewart, R.C., Kokota, D. et al. Attitudes towards mental illness in Malawi: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health 12, 541 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-12-541 (2012)
  

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• Journal Article
  Kokota D. Viewpoint: Episodes of mass hysteria in African schools: a study of literature. Malawi Med J. 2011 Sep;23(3):74-7. PMID: 23448000; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3588562/ (2011)
  

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