Association between belief towards mental illness and help seeking behaviour among undergraduate students of Lalitpur district, Nepal

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of mental illness among adolescents is a growing concern, with projections indicating that one in five adolescents experience a mental illness annually. Persistent negative beliefs and stigma surrounding mental illness often lead to discrimination, creating barriers that hinder individuals from seeking the help they need. Additionally, the neglect of mental health issues, especially in developing countries like Nepal, is influenced by deep-seated social and cultural factors that are not widely acknowledged. Objectives: To assess the association of belief towards mental illness and help seeking behaviour among undergraduate students of Lalitpur district, Nepal. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 undergraduate students of management faculty in Lalitpur district. Belief towards Mental Illness scale was used to assess belief and self-reported questionnaire was used for assessing help seeking behaviour. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between beliefs and help seeking behaviour adjusting for the confounders. Results: More than half of the respondents had negative belief towards mental illness. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents had previously sought help while experiencing any kind of mental illness. The odds of not seeking help is higher by 1.71 times among those who had negative belief towards mental illness compared to those who had positive belief (95% CI 1.03,2.8) adjusting for the confounders. Conclusion: Those students who had negative belief were less likely to seek help. This highlights the urgent need to address these negative beliefs through targeted interventions, aiming to alleviate such perceptions and foster improved help-seeking behaviour.