Mental Health Literacy and associated factors among VHTs in Isingiro District, Southwestern Uganda

Abstract

Background: Village Health Teams (VHTs) form the cornerstone of Uganda's community health system, providing the first point of contact between households and the formal health sector. While there is a growing mental issue in Uganda, MHL is an important predictor of supportive attitudes towards mental health problems and towards help-seeking for the self and for others with the growing issue of mental health in Uganda. This study, therefore, aimed to assess the level of mental health literacy among VHTs in Isingiro District and to identify the factors associated with their MHL. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted in Isingiro District, southwestern Uganda. Consecutive sampling was used to enrol participants. Mental health literacy was assessed using MAKS. The factors associated with mental health literacy were assessed using multilinear regression. Results: A total of 171 VHTs were included in the study, and their mean age was 46.5 (SD: 9.6). People with poor, low-middle, high-middle, and high levels of mental health literacy were 44 (25.15%), 50 (29.24%), 39 (22.81%), and 39 (22.81%), respectively. The majority of VHTs with a high level of mental health literacy had a secondary level of education (0.016), were married (0.009), were self-employed (0.016), and were Banyankore (<0.001). The majority of VHTs with a high level of mental health literacy had served for a period ranging between 10 and 20 years (<0.001). The factors independently associated with mental health literacy were being a Munyankore (<0.001) and the period served as a community health worker, either 1-10 years or 11-20 years (<0.001).
Conclusion: This study shows that mental health literacy is limited among village health workers. Additionally, the period that VHTs have served, in addition to their level of education and marital status, plays a key role in the level of mental health literacy. Considering the huge role played by the VHTs' intervention, they should consider increasing the knowledge of mental health literacy among VHTs, as they are the ones staying with people in the community.