mHealth for Mental Health of Young Mothers in Nepal

Aleksandra Perczynska from People in Need in Nepal will develop two approaches, namely mobile phone voice messaging (mobile health [mHealth]) and workshops, to improve the mental health of young mothers in Nepal. In 2016, over 15% of Nepali girls aged 15-19 years had children. These adolescents are particularly vulnerable to mental health disorders such as depression, and often have limited support from the community and their new in-laws. They will recruit young mothers and mental health workers to help design the two approaches. mHealth will deliver mental and infant health information using interactive media such as audio dramas via simple mobile phones, which many of these women own, as well as tests to determine whether they understood the information, completion of which will be rewarded with phone credits. The workshops will cover health issues, safety issues such as those related to violence, and life skills such as confidence building, and be held by female community health volunteers who will be further trained in psychology and leading interactive workshops for young women. The workshops will also reach out to the in-laws of the young mothers to educate them on the benefits of mental health. They will implement their approach in an earthquake-affected area and evaluate its impact on the mental health and empowerment of the young mothers.