Mental health literacy and associated factors among traditional healers of Jimma town, southwest, Ethiopia 2020: a community based, cross-sectional study.

Background: Traditional healers are in the front line to give the mental healthcare service in developing countries like Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, different studies were done focusing on the role of traditional medicine and perception of the community toward traditional medicine. However, there is paucity of studies, which shows the level of mental health literacy among traditional healers. Therefore, this study intended to mental health literacy level of traditional healers in Jimma town, Ethiopia. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed among 310 participants. To select the participants from Jimma town, a stratified random sampling method was utilized from August 1 to September 30, 2020. The Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire was used to assess mental health literacy for assessment of mental health literacy among traditional healers. The collected data were coded and entered into EpiData version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable linear regression was used for data analysis. Result: The finding of this study showed that the samples of traditional healers found in Jimma town scored a total mean of 95.91 ± 3.0025 for mental health literacy. Age [ß = -0.052 (95% CI: -0.078, -0.026)], year of experience [ß = 0.095 (95% CI: 0.067, 0.123)], family history of mental illness [ß = 1.709 (95% CI: 0.543, 2.360)], history of professional help seeking on mental illness [ß = 0.501 (95% CI: 0.715, 2.288)], history of getting information of mental illness on media [ß = 0.941 (95% CI: 0.345, 1.538)], training on mental health [ß = 2.213 (995% CI: 1.520, 2.906)], history of treating mental illness [ß = 1.676 (95% CI: 0.808, 2.544)], and informal education [ß = -1.664 (95% CI: -2.081, -1.247)] were factors significantly associated with MHL. Conclusion: The mental health literacy of traditional healers mean score is lower than the mean score of other studies. Age, year of experience, training on mental illness, family history, history of professional help seeking, history of treating mental illness, information on mental illness, and informal education are significantly associated with mental health literacy. Therefore, structured training is very important to improve their level of mental health literacy.

Depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and associated factors among adults, in the Eastern part of Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Depressive disorder is one of the severe and common mental illnesses in the general population. Bipolar disorder is a severe, persistent mental illness associated with significant morbidity and mortality. However, there is a paucity of data on the prevalence of depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder in our study area. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive and bipolar disorders among adults in Kersa, Haramaya, and Harar Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites in Eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,416 participants. A multi-stage sampling was employed to select the participants. DSM-5 diagnostic criteria was used to assess depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Data was collected using a standard questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi-Data 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Both binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done. Those with a p-value < 0.05 in the final model were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of depressive and bipolar disorders among our study participants was 6.7% (95% CI: 5.40, 8.20) and 2.1% (95% CI: (1.40, 3.00), respectively. The independent predictors of depressive disorder included a family history of mental illness, chronic medical illnesses, unemployment, low educational status, divorced or widowed, poor social support, and current alcohol use or khat chewing. Single, males, divorced or widowed, and current consumers of alcohol were independent predictors for bipolar disorder. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION: The results of our investigation showed that bipolar illness and depression were significant public health issues. It was shown that although bipolar disorder is highly prevalent in the society, depression is a widespread concern. As a result, it is imperative that the relevant body grow and enhance the provision of mental health services. Furthermore, research on the effects and burdens of bipolar disorder in the community is required.

High rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among children 6 to 17 years old in Southwest Ethiopia findings from a community-based study.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is among the common neuropsychiatric disorders affecting children and adolescents. The disorder affects the life of children, their parents, and the community when left untreated. Although evidence indicated a high prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the developed world, there is limited evidence in developing countries, particularly, Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among Ethiopian children aged 6 to 17 years. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2021 among children aged 6 to 17 years in Jimma town. A multistage sampling technique was applied to select 520 study participants. Data were collected by using the Vanderbilt Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder- Parent Rating scale as a modified, semi-structured, and face-to-face interview. The association between independent variables and the outcome variable was investigated using bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression. The final model level of significance was set at a p-value of < 0.05. RESULT: A total of 504 participants were involved in the study with a response rate of 96.9%. The overall prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in this study was (9.9%, n = 50). Maternal complication during pregnancy (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.56, 95% CI = 1.44-8.79, mothers illiteracy (AOR = 3.10, 95% CI = 1.24-7.79), attending primary school (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.32-6.73), history of head trauma (AOR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.25-8.16), maternal alcohol use during pregnancy (AOR = 3.54, 95% CI = 1.26-10), bottle feeding during first six months (AOR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.20-6.93) and child's age 6-11 years (AOR = 3.86, 95% CI = 1.77-8.43) were significantly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. CONCLUSION: In this study, one in ten children and adolescents in Jimma town had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was high. For this reason, there is a need to pay increased attention to control associated factors of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and reduce its prevalence.