Abstract
BackgroundChildren and adolescents with chronic physical health conditions are vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes. The measurement of mental health literacy of health professionals working with such populations is important because of their role in promoting early and appropriate help-seeking. This study sought to determine the beliefs regarding the causes of and risks factors for three types of mental illnesses amongst health professionals in United Arab Emirates.MethodA culturally validated mental health literacy survey presenting three vignettes of fictional characters meeting diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder, depression with suicidal thoughts and psychosis was distributed. The survey measured health care professionals’ beliefs regarding the causes of and risk factors for these disorders.ResultsA total of 317 health care professional (> 90% nurses) were surveyed from across the UAE. Although 43.8% correctly endorsed exposure to a ‘traumatic event’ as the most likely cause for developing posttraumatic stress disorder, there was a more limited understanding of the contribution of biopsychosocial factors to the development of the mental illness, particularly for psychosis. Participant socio-demographic variables were associated with attributions of religious or spiritual beliefs and personal weakness as causal and/or vulnerability factors in the development of depression with suicidal thoughts and psychosis.ConclusionsEfforts to improve mental health systems and health care providers in UAE and other similar Middle Eastern countries requires targeted mental health literacy programs that seek to integrate biopsychosocial models of mental illness and their treatment with the positive aspects of religious and cultural beliefs that are dominant in this region.
Highlights
Children and adolescents with chronic physical health conditions are vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes
Participant socio-demographic variables were associated with attributions of religious or spiritual beliefs and personal weakness as causal and/or vulnerability factors in the development of depression with suicidal thoughts and psychosis
A large proportion of participants were from the Indian sub-continent; followed by the Middle East, United Arab Emirates (UAE) nationals, South East Asia, and Africa; over one-third (38.3%) did not report their nationality
Summary
Children and adolescents with chronic physical health conditions are vulnerable to poor mental health outcomes. Children and adolescents with chronic physical health conditions face multiple challenges such as prolonged periods of poor health and repeated hospitalisations [3]. In the Arab culture, having a mental illness remains stigmatised and helpseeking behaviours are often viewed as bringing shame on the family and the affected person may be attributed to a weakness in one’s faith [7]. This reluctance to seek professional help is exacerbated by the acceptability of non-professional traditional sources of help such as religious advice as the first option for support. The shortage of qualified mental health clinicians further influences decisions to seek medical support [7]
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