Back to Search
Start Over
Mental health literacy in children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: a mixed studies systematic review and narrative synthesis.
- Source :
- European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; Apr2024, Vol. 33 Issue 4, p961-985, 25p
- Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Mental illnesses are the leading cause of disease burden among children and young people (CYP) globally. Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are disproportionately affected. Enhancing mental health literacy (MHL) is one way to combat low levels of help-seeking and effective treatment receipt. We aimed to synthesis evidence about knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of CYP in LMICs about mental illnesses, their treatments and outcomes, evaluating factors that can enhance or impede help-seeking to inform context-specific and developmentally appropriate understandings of MHL. Eight bibliographic databases were searched from inception to July 2020: PsycInfo, EMBASE, Medline (OVID), Scopus, ASSIA (ProQuest), SSCI, SCI (Web of Science) CINAHL PLUS, Social Sciences full text (EBSCO). 58 papers (41 quantitative, 13 qualitative, 4 mixed methods) representing 52 separate studies comprising 36,429 participants with a mean age of 15.3 [10.4–17.4], were appraised and synthesized using narrative synthesis methods. Low levels of recognition and knowledge about mental health problems and illnesses, pervasive levels of stigma and low confidence in professional healthcare services, even when considered a valid treatment option were dominant themes. CYP cited the value of traditional healers and social networks for seeking help. Several important areas were under-researched including the link between specific stigma types and active help-seeking and research is needed to understand more fully the interplay between knowledge, beliefs and attitudes across varied cultural settings. Greater exploration of social networks and the value of collaboration with traditional healers is consistent with promising, yet understudied, areas of community-based MHL interventions combining education and social contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- MENTAL illness treatment
INTELLECT
MIDDLE-income countries
MEDICAL information storage & retrieval systems
HEALTH literacy
HEALTH attitudes
MENTAL health
RESEARCH funding
CINAHL database
TREATMENT effectiveness
CONFIDENCE
HELP-seeking behavior
PEDIATRICS
SYSTEMATIC reviews
MEDLINE
SOCIAL networks
LOW-income countries
PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems
SOCIAL stigma
EVALUATION
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 10188827
- Volume :
- 33
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 177625018
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-022-01997-6