Public awareness of psychological problems in Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose Awareness of psychological problems is essential to address the problems adequately. It also contributes positively in the overall psychosocial well-being of a society. The rates of mental health literacy have been investigated in many countries and have been found to be lower than expected. The purpose of this study was to explore public awareness of psychological problems and psychological treatment in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The current study explored the latest levels of public awareness of psychological problems in the country by involving 3,500 respondents from five major cities. The sample of the study was sufficiently rich to represent Pakistanis based on gender, age, education, profession and income. Data were gathered from 3,500 respondents through interviews and a self-respondent questionnaire. Findings The study revealed that the awareness of psychological problems in Pakistan was 36 per cent. Several significant variations were also found based on different demographic factors. The study also revealed that 42.17 per cent of the respondents were aware of psychotherapy as a possible way of treating psychological problems followed by their awareness of social support (17.29 per cent), medicine (16.74 per cent), supernatural practices (6.29 per cent), religious practices (5.60 per cent) and self-help (3.57 per cent). Practical implications As a result of the findings of unsatisfactory levels of public awareness of psychological problems, this paper has implications for mental health practitioners and policymakers to play their active part in improving the situation. Originality/value The current study is the first large-scale study in the country.

Women are the Better Halves: Gender-based Variations in Virtues and Character Strengths

“…They are condemned for being infertile (Husain & Imran, 2020) and humiliated for being a matter of shame for the family (Gill, 2010). These situations put women at a higher risk of several psychological problems (Husain, 2018;Husain & Faize, 2020;Husain & Qureshi, 2016), which stay unresolved (Husain, 2019). The negativity in the attitudes towards women is based on several psychosocial factors such as gender (Wendt & Shafer, 2016), age (Twenge, 1997a), mental health (Parry, 1987), anxiety (Wade & Gelso, 1998), depression (Halloran, 1998), self-esteem (McCall & Struthers, 1994;Napholz, 1995;Pryor, 1994;Shimonaka et al, 1997;Wilhelm et al, 1997), locus of control (Furnham & Gunter, 1988), organizational requirements (García-Retamero & López-Zafra, 2006), political orientation (Whitley & Egisdóttir, 2000), religion (Emerson & Hartman, 2006), racism (Cragun & Sumerau, 2015) and culture (Costa et al, 2014).…”

Components of psychosocial health

“…They are condemned for being infertile (Husain and Imran, 2020) and humiliated for being a matter of shame for the family. These situations put women at a higher risk of several psychological problems (Husain, 2018; Husain and Qureshi, 2016; Husain and Faize, 2020), which stay unresolved (Husain, 2019). The findings of the current study serve as a fresh air for women by projecting higher levels of psychosocial health among them as compared to men.…”

The Levels of Joy in Muslims’ Celebrations: A Comparison Between Eid and Weddings

“…Noticeably, the overall psychosocial wellbeing of Pakistanis is also not up to the mark. They do face several psychosocial stressors in their day-to-day routine , suffer from several mental problems (Husain, 2018), lack proper information on mental health (Husain & Faize, 2020), and avoid psychotherapeutic consultation (Husain, 2020). An earlier study revealed that medical doctors and nurses in Pakistan, who are supposed to enhance the health of their countrymen, had alarming levels of depression, anxiety, and stress themselves, compared with other professions (Hassan & Husain, 2020).…”