Assessing the mental health literacy of healthcare workers at a Johannesburg tertiary hospital.

BACKGROUND

Good mental health literacy (MHL) has proven to aid in providing adequate and timely care, promote positive attitudes towards mental health and assist in the integration of mental healthcare with other services. Studies have shown that enhancing the MHL of healthcare workers (HCWs) can help alleviate the burden of mental illness.

AIM

The study aims to explore the MHL of HCWs at a tertiary hospital in Johannesburg.

SETTING

The study was conducted at Helen Joseph Hospital.

METHODS

A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study via a self-administered questionnaire consisting of: (1) a demographic, work and exposure to mental illness and mental healthcare services questionnaire and (2) the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) was employed. The MHLS identifies people with low MHL who could benefit from further interventions.

RESULTS

Two hundred and fifty-two HCWs participated in the study. The overall median MHLS score was 129, in keeping with a previous study conducted in SA and Zambia. Younger HCWs with less than 5 years of experience scored higher. Among the various professions, doctors scored highest and nurses lowest. The anaesthetic and psychiatric departments obtained the highest MHLS scores. Personal exposure to mental illness and mental health services was associated with higher MHLS scores.

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted areas where mental health awareness and education are lacking, which are crucial for improving MHL. Targeted interventions to fill these identified gaps are therefore recommended.

CONTRIBUTION

To our knowledge, this was the first South African study to assess MHL among tertiary-level HCWs across various professions.