Background:
The Francophonie comprises 54 member states and governments, most of which are classified as low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by the World Bank (40/54 or 74%). The Francophonie and the French language are often under-represented in the global mental health literature, such as interventions used to further integrate mental health into primary and community-based settings and the implementation of psychological treatments. We aimed to better understand interventions and strategies related to the delivery of and access to mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Francophonie countries, particularly those classified as LMICs.
Methods:
Semi-structured interviews were conducted between March 2022 and June 2022 with 16 participants, including directors, program managers or officers, researchers, and clinicians working in Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Canada (New Brunswick, Québec), Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo, and Tunisia. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Thematic analyses, using deductive and inductive approaches to identify themes, are ongoing with NVivo.
Findings:
Findings will highlight the individual (i.e., mental health needs) and system impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health service delivery and access across participating countries, including in the context of already difficult access to mental health care prior to the pandemic. Interventions employed during the pandemic and discussed ranged from community-based and primary care interventions (i.e., training of non-specialists in mental health care, youth peer-support, crisis hotlines), to specialized care in hospital settings, some of which were implemented prior to the pandemic, whereas others were implemented during the pandemic. Lessons learned across participating countries will be highlighted, as well as compared and contrasted.
Interpretation (optional, max 50 words):
Our findings can further the inclusion of French-speaking countries in discussions around mental health interventions employed to improve access to mental health care. Lessons learned (i.e., intervention successes and challenges) can provide insights to help shape priorities on mental health practice and policy, as well as for health system improvement in the context of increased attention placed on access to mental health care.

COVID-19, Mental health, Health systems and management