Elderly Mental Health Awareness in Dakar: A Comparative Qualitative Study

Elderly mental health in Dakar, Senegal faces significant challenges due to cultural stigma and limited access to healthcare. The study employed a comparative design with two groups: an experimental group receiving the educational intervention and a control group not exposed to it. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions and interviews. A thematic analysis revealed that participants in the experimental group showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in understanding of mental health issues, with themes including stigma reduction and improved access to services. The educational intervention successfully enhanced mental health awareness among elderly residents in Dakar. Future research should explore long-term impacts and scalability of the intervention across different demographics in Senegal. elderly, mental health, Dakar, educational intervention, qualitative study Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.