Journal of Psychiatry

Help-seeking intention and associated factors towards mental illness among residents of Mertule Mariam Town, East Gojam zone, Amhara region, ethiopia: a Mixed-method study

Annual World Congress on Psychiatry

July 19, 2021 | Webinar

Berhanu Yeshanew

Dire Dawa University, Ethiopia

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: JOP

Abstract:

Background: About 76% and 85% of people in low and middle-income countries with severe mental illness did not get treatment due to fear of expected discrimination. There are scarce in evidence on community intention to seek help for mental illness. Therefore, we assessed the intention to seek help and associated factors for mental illness among residents of Mertule Mariam town that would fill that gap. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from May to June 2017 at Mertule Mariam town using General Help-Seeking Questionnaire. Focus group discussion had also been employed to obtain qualitative data. A total of 964 participants have participated in this study and binary logistic regression was employed. Variables in multiple logistic regressions were considered as an independent predictor of help-seeking intention to mental illness if their P-value was less than 0.05. Result: About 81.5% of respondents had the intent to seek help from healthcare workers. But 44.6% of participants had the intention to seek from traditional healers. Variables that had an association with help-seeking intention were having an idea that mental illness needs treatment (AOR=3.42, 95% CI 1.1–10.55), age group of 25–34 years (AOR=1.46, 95% CI 1.02–2.09), mild social support (AOR=1.85, 95% CI 1.25–2.72), and perceived severity of mental illness. Conclusion: Community help-seeking intent for mental health problems was still inadequate. So strengthening to deliver information about mental illness through media like radio and television to advance help-seeking intention of the community was mandatory.

Biography :

Berhanu completed his under graduate and post graduate degree in psychiatry from University of Gondar, College of medicine and health science. He is a lecturer and researcher at department of psychiatry.