Mental health literacy of school nurses in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

BackgroundTo support promotion, prevention and early intervention for mental illness school nurses need to be mental health literate.MethodsThree hundred and thirty-nine school nurses employed in government and private schools from three Emirates in the UAE were surveyed. A culturally adapted Mental Health Literacy questionnaire comprising three vignettes of fictional characters meeting diagnostic criteria for the target conditions along with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) was administered to ascertain school nurses’ ability to correctly identify the conditions and to elicit beliefs about helpfulness of treatment interventions and of health care providers for these conditions.ResultsLess than 50% of the respondents correctly identified the disorders presented, while accurate identification of evidence-based interventions was also limited. Correlations between level of psychological distress and level of inaccurate survey responses was also revealed, respondents who correctly identified the correct diagnosis of the vignette and the most appropriate interventions were those who had a significantly lower K10 score.ConclusionsLow levels of mental health literacy amongst respondents in combination with potential religious and cultural factors as reported in the literature, highlight the need for curriculum enhancements for future health professionals and a targeted program of culturally appropriate professional development focused on mental health promotion for those in clinical practice. The level of psychological distress noted in this cohort also signals a need to ensure that appropriate supports are available for clinical staff employed in schools.

Health literacy status and its relationship with quality of life among nurses in teaching hospitals of Shiraz University Of Medical Sciences

“…The given literacy in health professionals can also be an important factor affecting nurses' decision-making and functioning in health systems to improve public health. [25] Because nurses are among the groups employed in the domain of healthcare and also engaged in repeated relationships with healthcare issues in hospitals, they need to have an optimal level of health literacy; thus, the results obtained in the present study confirmed this issue. According to the findings of this study, quality of life in nurses was estimated at moderate levels.…”

Anxiety related disorders in adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: a population based cross-sectional study

“…For example, a previous study found teachers had limited sensitivity to variations in students' levels of anxiety symptoms, and often struggled to identify students that required targeted interventions or additional classroom support [26]. Research conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported that correct identification of mental health problems and accurate identification of appropriate evidence-based interventions for affected children was limited among healthcare professionals [27,28]. This was attributed to low levels of mental health literacy among respondents, combined with religious and cultural factors that potentially affected their interventions.…”

“…In addition, the UAE has a large percentage of young people with developmental needs that may predispose them to anxiety in adulthood, especially those with chronic conditions [27]. The UAE also has specific environmental and cultural risk factors that contribute to mental health problems, particularly among young people [28,30]. These risk factors include large family units and consanguineous marriages, which are common in the UAE and the wider Arab world [31].…”

Anxiety related disorders in adolescents in the United Arab Emirates: a population based cross-sectional study

“…For example, a previous study found teachers had limited sensitivity to variations in students' levels of anxiety symptoms, and often struggled to identify students that required targeted interventions or additional classroom support [26]. Research conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported that correct identi cation of mental health problems and accurate identi cation of appropriate evidence-based interventions for affected children was limited among healthcare professionals [27,28]. This was attributed to low levels of mental health literacy among respondents, combined with religious and cultural factors that potentially affected their interventions.…”

“…In addition, the UAE has a large percentage of young people with developmental needs that may predispose them to anxiety in adulthood, especially those with chronic conditions [27]. The UAE also has speci c environmental and cultural risk factors that contribute to mental health problems, particularly among young people [28,30].…”