Abstract
Objective . To determine the effectiveness of psycho-education on symptom severity in depression, hopelessness, suicidality, anxiety and risk of substance abuse among para-medical students at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). Methodology. A clinical trial drew experimental ( N =1 181) and control ( N =1 926) groups from different KMTC campuses. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data: the researcher-designed social demographic questionnaire was used at baseline only, while Beck’s Depression Inventory, Beck’s Hopelessness Scale, Beck’s Suicide Ideation Scale, Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and World Health Organization alcohol, smoking and substance involvement screening test (ASSIST) (for drug abuse) were used for baseline, mid-point and end-point assessments at 3-month intervals. The experimental group received a total of 16 hours of structured psycho-education. All study participants gave informed consent. Results . Overall, there was no significant reduction in symptom severity between the experimental and control groups at 3 months ( p >0.05) but there was a significant difference at 6 months ( p <0.05). Conclusion. Psycho-education was effective in reducing the severity of symptoms of depression, hopelessness, suicidality, anxiety and risk of substance abuse at 6 months.
Highlights
Substantial evidence supports the use of psychological therapies – cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – through various methods of psycho-education in the prevention or treatment of mild to moderate depression, anxiety, moderate substance abuse and hopelessness and suicidality.[1]
An individual’s ability to understand the effects of psycho-stressors as risk factors can help reduce these conditions’ prevalence among patients or the general population, and individuals equipped with appropriate stress-coping strategies can deal with possible psycho-stressors before they become chronic.[2]
The most common mental disorders diagnosed in primary-care settings are depression, anxiety and substance-related disorders, which can be present alone or comorbid with another mental disorder
Summary
Substantial evidence supports the use of psychological therapies – cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – through various methods of psycho-education in the prevention or treatment of mild to moderate depression, anxiety, moderate substance abuse and hopelessness and suicidality.[1] Researchers have devised several components of psycho-education geared towards symptom recognition and stress-coping skills, among other things, which mental health professionals have found to be effective in preventing and reducing the symptoms of these conditions. [4] Hopelessness and suicidality are symptoms in a number of mental disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety or substance abuse.[5,6,7] Common in the general population, these debilitating conditions affect general well-being, functioning, productivity and quality of life if left unmanaged, making it hard to do everyday tasks completely, competently and efficiently.[8,9,10,11] The most common mental disorders diagnosed in primary-care settings are depression, anxiety and substance-related disorders, which can be present alone or comorbid with another mental disorder. [4] Hopelessness and suicidality are symptoms in a number of mental disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety or substance abuse.[5,6,7] Common in the general population, these debilitating conditions affect general well-being, functioning, productivity and quality of life if left unmanaged, making it hard to do everyday tasks completely, competently and efficiently.[8,9,10,11]
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