Mental health literacy in Ghana

Implications for religiosity, education and stigmatization

Dados Bibliográficos

ID8038963
AutoresPeter Adu (0000-0002-1931-147X, National Research University Higher School of Economics), Tomas Jurcik (0000-0002-7016-003X, National Research University Higher School of Economics), Dmitry Grigoryev (0000-0003-4511-7942, National Research University Higher School of Economics)
Ano2021
Volume58
Fascículo4
Páginas516-531
Data de publicação2021-06-24
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoTranscultural Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1363-4615 • E-ISSN: 1461-7471
EditoraSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/13634615211022177
PMID34165347
OpenAlexW3177196796
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas22
Referências citadas73

Research on Mental Health Literacy (MHL) has been growing internationally. However, the beliefs and knowledge of Ghanaians about specific mental disorders have yet to be explored. This vignette study was conducted to explore the relationships between religiosity, education, stigmatization and MHL among Ghanaians using a sample of laypeople (N = 409). The adapted questionnaire presented two vignettes (depression and schizophrenia) about a hypothetical person. The results revealed that more participants were able to recognize depression (47.4%) than schizophrenia (15.9%). Religiosity was not significantly associated with recognition of mental disorders but was positively associated with both social and personal stigma for depression, and negatively associated with personal and perceived stigma for schizophrenia. Moreover, education was found to be positively associated with disorder recognition, and negatively with perceived stigma. Finally, perceived stigma was positively associated with disorder recognition, whereas personal stigma for schizophrenia related negatively to recognition of mental disorders. In conclusion, education but not religiosity predicted identification accuracy, but both predictors were associated with various forms of stigma. Findings from this study have implications for MHL and anti-stigma campaigns in Ghana and other developing countries in the region

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV · Literacy · Mental health · Mental health literacy · Mental illness · Psychiatry · Religiosity · Schizophrenia (object-oriented programming · Social stigma · Stigma (botany · Vignette · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology