Behavioral changes in children in Malawi, after recovering from cerebral malaria and treatment acceptability among Malawian parents

Cerebral malaria is a life-threatening disease that affects many children in sub-Saharan Africa. Research has shown that children that survive this disease are often left with neurological disabilities after their recovery, for example behavioral changes similar to ADHD. However, diagnosis and treatments for ADHD are limited in many places in Africa. Research has also shown that externalizing mental disorders, like ADHD and ODD, are common in children after recovering from cerebral malaria. The purpose of this study was twofold. Firstly, to see if children in Malawi who have survived cerebral malaria showed behavioral changes, similar to ADHD and ODD, after their recovery. Secondly, to analyze treatment acceptability among parents in Malawi whose child had recovered from cerebral malaria compared to parents in the general population in Malawi, as no studies were found on treatment acceptability in the country The result showed that more than half of the children that recovered from cerebral malaria reached respectively the clinical criteria for the number of ADHD and ODD symptoms. Around half of the children showed both ADHD and ODD symptoms after the recovery. The results also showed that the most acceptable treatments among parents in Malawi were interrupt/redirect, discussion, and medication. There was only a significant difference between the two parents’ groups when asking about acceptability toward medication as a treatment, where parents of children who survive cerebral malaria were more accepting of medication as a treatment. Further studies are needed to be able to provide appropriate treatment for these children.

Author dc:creator

• Guðlaug María Sveinbjörnsdóttir 1994-

Contributors dc:contributor

• Háskóli Íslands

• Klínisk sálfræði

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1946/35826

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:skemman.is:1946/35826