Musafiri John J, Bimerew Million, Chipps Jennifer
School of Nursing, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town.
Curationis. 2025 May 16;48(1):e1-e7. doi: 10.4102/curationis.v48i1.2677.
Mental disorders remain a global health burden. The integration of mental health services into primary healthcare (PHC) can contribute to reduction of this burden. However, studies have reported PHC nurses' lack of knowledge of mental disorders, which leads to their negative attitudes towards people with mental disorders preventing them from seeking help.
The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge levels of PHC nurses regarding mental disorders in the Western Cape, South Africa.
A quantitative descriptive survey was conducted. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 246 PHC nurses in the Cape Town metropole. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests and independent sample tests. A cut-off value of ≥ 80% was used to determine the sufficient levels of knowledge.
The average knowledge score (15.6; 78.0%) was below the cut-off value of ≥ 80%, indicating insufficient levels of knowledge. Sufficient levels of knowledge were found for over half of the respondents (139, 59.4%). Most of the respondents were knowledgeable about the symptoms of depression (221, 94.4 %), bipolar (217, 92.7%), schizophrenia (213, 91.0%) and anxiety disorders (209, 89.3%).
Over half of the PHC nurses could identify the signs and symptoms of common mental disorders. However, the knowledge of dysthymia and psychosis requires more attention.Contribution: This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in nursing practice and education related to mental disorders.
精神障碍仍然是一项全球卫生负担。将精神卫生服务纳入初级卫生保健（PHC）有助于减轻这一负担。然而，研究报告称初级卫生保健护士缺乏精神障碍方面的知识，这导致他们对精神障碍患者持消极态度，使患者不愿寻求帮助。
本研究的目的是评估南非西开普省初级卫生保健护士对精神障碍的知识水平。
进行了一项定量描述性调查。使用一份自填式问卷从开普敦都会区的246名初级卫生保健护士样本中收集数据。使用描述性统计、卡方检验和独立样本检验对数据进行分析。使用≥80%的临界值来确定足够的知识水平。
平均知识得分（15.6；78.0%）低于≥80%的临界值，表明知识水平不足。超过一半的受访者（139人，59.4%）知识水平足够。大多数受访者了解抑郁症（221人，94.4%）、双相情感障碍（217人，92.7%）、精神分裂症（213人，91.0%）和焦虑症（209人，89.3%）的症状。
超过一半的初级卫生保健护士能够识别常见精神障碍的体征和症状。然而，心境恶劣和精神病方面的知识需要更多关注。贡献：本研究为护理实践和教育中与精神障碍相关的现有知识体系做出了贡献。
