Mental Health Literacy Among Female Community Health Workers: A Multi-setting Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Mental health literacy among lay community health workers (CHWs) is crucial to ensuring that mental health services are accessible to all. This research explores the mental health literacy of community health workers in Indonesia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 454 female community health workers from various villages. Their understanding of mental illness was assessed through questionnaires, exploring their overall belief about the cause and consequence of mental illness, the symptom and the treatment of mental illness, and their perception of relapse.

Results: Most participants have false beliefs about the causes and consequences of mental illness. For instance, the majority of respondents agreed that severe stress leads to mental illness (80%), while 60.4% believed personal weakness to be a cause. Cognitive impairments and brain disease were associated with mental illness by 67.2% and 57.3%, respectively, although only 32.6% attributed it to hereditary factors. Regarding treatment, 83.9% of respondents believed that consistent medication could fully cure mental disorders, while 81.1% associated mental illness with strange behavior. Additionally, 90.7% of respondents emphasized the importance of regular medication to prevent relapse, with 81.5% stating that lack of medication leads to relapse.

Conclusion: A significant level of misinformation and misconception among participants regarding mental illness was unveiled. This misunderstanding can contribute to the stigmatization of individuals experiencing stress, as it may lead to unwarranted assumptions about their mental health. These findings underscore the importance of targeted mental health education campaigns to address misconceptions.

Keywords: Community health workers; female health workers; mental health misperception.