Mental health research in Botswana: a semi-systematic scoping review

Abstract

Mental and substance use disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide. Despite this, there is a paucity of mental health research in low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. We carried out a semi-systematic scoping review to determine the extent of mental health research in Botswana. Using a predetermined search strategy, we searched the databases Web of Science, PubMed, and EBSCOhost (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL with Full Text, MEDLINE, MEDLINE with Full Text, MLA International Bibliography, Open Dissertations) for articles written in English from inception to June 2020. We identified 58 studies for inclusion. The most researched subject was mental health aspects of HIV/AIDS, followed by research on neurotic and stress-related disorders. Most studies were cross-sectional and the earliest published study was from 1983. The majority of the studies were carried out by researchers affiliated to the University of Botswana, followed by academic institutions in the USA. There seems to be limited mental health research in Botswana, and there is a need to increase research capacity.

Depression and suicidal behavior among adolescents living with HIV in Botswana: a cross-sectional study

“…There was a spike in suicidal behavior and depression rates among young people in Botswana in 2021, as shown by the unpublished hospital record in Botswana's only mental health referral hospital. Studies on depression focused mainly on university students [9][10][11][12] and adults in community settings [9][10][11]. The few studies conducted among individuals living with HIV were mainly in the adult population [13][14][15][16] and conducted more than 10 years ago [13,14].…”

“…The few studies conducted among individuals living with HIV were mainly in the adult population [13][14][15][16] and conducted more than 10 years ago [13,14]. At the time of writing, no study was found that estimated the prevalence of depression among the ALWHIV in Botswana, which ranked among the top four countries most affected by HIV [12].…”

Psychosocial predictors of anxiety and depression in a sample of healthcare workers in Botswana during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter cross-sectional study

“…Although the country has relatively high number of HCWs per capita compared with others in the region, these are inadequate and unevenly distributed. 17 , 18 The country recorded its first cases of COVID-19 in March 2020, and since then, the cases have been rising. At the time of writing, there were 46,934 cases reported, with 712 deaths (Coronavirus Resource Center, 2021).…”

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“…In comparison to two recent scoping reviews conducted in South Africa and Botswana, more research work has been done on substance use in Kenya. Our study found that 185 papers on substance use among Kenyans had been published by the time of the search while Opondo et al[11] and Tran et al[10] reported that only 53 and 7 papers focusing on substance use had been published in South Africa (between 1971 and 2017) and in Botswana (between 1983 and 2020) respectively.…”

“…In another survey, 20% of primary school children had ever used at least one substance in their lifetime [9]. Moreover, Kenya has the third highest total DALYs (54,000) from alcohol use disorders (AUD) in Africa [4] Unfortunately, empirical work on substance use in LMICs is limited [10,11]. In a global mapping of SUD research, majority of the work had been conducted in upper-middle income and HICs (HICs) [11].…”