Interest in Communication Technology by Rural Caregivers of Adolescents with Mental Health Issues in South Africa: The Mmogo-Method^®

Abstract

Caregivers determine the level of care adolescents with mental issues receive; however, caregivers’ own needs are often unmet. Communication technology can be tailored to address these challenges, especially in a rural environment. This study aimed to explore caregivers’ interest in using communication technology to provide support to address challenges. This study involved a visual-based narrative inquiry that gathered data through the Mmogo-method^®. Three (n = 3) groups were held with rural caregivers (n = 17) of adolescents with mental health issues in a rural area in the Free State province of South Africa during 2017. Three themes captured challenges confronting caregivers, namely, psychosocial, social resources, and informational challenges. Interest in communication technology was captured in a fourth theme. The findings indicate that communication technology can address caregivers’ challenges by providing support and information to caregivers in rural areas. Communication technology, including mobile phones, electronic devices, and the Internet, has transformed healthcare services and proved to be valuable in resource constraint environments.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the participants and stakeholders at the Kopanong Municipality for supporting the research team to conduct this study. We would like to thank Mrs. M. Coetzee for co-analysing the data.

Declaration of interest statement

The authors reported no potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The Free State Department of Health [DOH 81/16/17], and the University of the Free State [1988340327] in South Africa, supported this work.