A WhatsApp community forum for improving critical thinking and practice skills of mental health providers in a conflict zone

ABSTRACT

A violent conflict, known as the Anglophone Crisis has been occuring in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon since 2016. This conflict and associated consequences have affected the way healthcare is provided. To help meet the needs of healthcare workers and other service providers, a community of practice called ‘The Forum’ was established using WhatsApp Messenger. This mobile learning group aimed to support, equip, and encourage practitioners to engage in critical thinking skills, enabling them to incorporate ongoing learning into their practice. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to evaluate the experiences of 13 Forum participants through in-depth individual interviews. Four themes were identified: (1) interactive learning to enhance critical thinking; (2) self-regulated learning strategies; (3) WhatsApp as an effective platform to support critical thinking and learning in a conflict zone; and (4) application to practice. This study shows that through participating in The Forum, users engaged in critical thinking on various mental health topics and applied new skills to their professional practice. Impacts of this study include practical implications with recommendations for those looking to develop a collaborative learning community in similar conditions, as well as theoretical contributions.

KEYWORDS:

• Social media
• political crisis
• educational technology
• collaborative learning
• critical thinking

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the selfless practitioners and members of The Forum who, amidst a violent and troubling conflict situation, still took time to participate in The Forum. The authors also thank the participants from that Forum who contributed to this research study through interviews. Anika Chowdhury was a research assistant who supported data analysis. The authors thank Sahithya Balakumar for assistance with editing the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kamila Pacholek

Kamila Pacholek is an occupational therapist, and graduate (as of November 2020) of the Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy program at the University of Toronto. She has a background in psychology and currently is working in Toronto.

Madalina Prostean

Madalina Prostean is an occupational therapist, and graduate (as of November 2020) of the Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy program at the University of Toronto. She has a background in psychology and currently is working in Toronto.

Sarah Burris

Sarah Burris is an occupational therapist, and graduate (as of November 2020) of the Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy program at the University of Toronto. She has a background in psychology and mindful movement and is currently working in the area of acute care in Vancouver.

Lynn Cockburn

Lynn Cockburn Lynn is an occupational therapist and researcher, who does research in global health issues; social justice, equity, disability, social inclusion, poverty, and public health. Geographically, most of her work centres on Canada and Cameroon. At the time of this project, she was an Assistant Professor with the Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Julius Nganji

Julius Nganji’s research interests are in e-learning personalization, digital accessibility, usability, human–computer interaction, special educational technology, and disability inclusive development. He is an Adjunct Lecturer, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Anya Ngo Nadège

Anya Nadege is a Registered Nurse, psychiatric nurse, and a mental health counsellor with five years experience in mental health. She is experienced in training on mental health, especially the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Program (mhGAP).

Louis Mbibeh

Louis Mbibeh is an independent researcher and disability inclusive development consultant. Based in Bamenda, Cameroon, he is involved in a number of international, national, and local research programs.