Research Areas

MENTAL HEALTH,

Profile

Dr Demoubly Kokota is a public mental health specialist and a lecturer at the University of Malawi. He holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences degree with a distinction from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College, a Master of Philosophy in Public Mental Health from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and a Doctor of Philosophy in Mental Health from the University of Malawi, College of Medicine. Dr Kokota’s main research interest is in task shifting and the integration of mental health into primary healthcare in Africa. He has coordinated several multinational research projects and contributed to writing the 2020 Malawi Quick Guide to Mental Health Handbook, which is being used in various health centres across Malawi to assist primary healthcare workers in assessing and managing mental illnesses. He has also coordinated six Annual Malawi Mental Health Research and Practice Development Conferences. Dr Kokota has 15 peer-reviewed articles in different reputable international and local journals, including PLOS ONE, BJPsych International, International Journal of Mental Health Systems and BMC Public Health. He also has a book chapter titled ‘Health Workers' Experiences of Using Digital Resources for the Improvement of Mental Well-Being’ in a book called COVID-19 and Psychological Distress in Africa, published by Routledge.

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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