Community Mental Health Outreach and Awareness in Post-Conflict Communities in Adamawa State, North East Nigeria

Post-conflict communities in North East Nigeria continue to experience elevated rates of psychiatric morbidity, yet community mental health outreach remains limited by resource constraints and logistical barriers. This study evaluates the reach, content, and perceived effectiveness of community mental health outreach activities in post-conflict communities in Adamawa State. A mixed-methods design will be used, with quantitative data collected from 200 community members through structured questionnaires assessing exposure to outreach, mental health knowledge changes, and care-seeking behavior. Qualitative data will be gathered through four focus group discussions and eight key informant interviews with community leaders, outreach workers, and local government health officers. Descriptive analysis will summarize outreach coverage, and logistic regression will identify predictors of improved care-seeking. Thematic analysis will be applied to qualitative findings. Literature from North East Nigeria documents significant gaps in outreach coverage, particularly in displaced communities, with many residents relying exclusively on faith-based support. Findings will inform the design of scalable community mental health outreach models for post-conflict settings in Adamawa and guide recommendations for the Adamawa State Ministry of Health. Keywords: community mental health, outreach, post-conflict, Adamawa State, North East Nigeria