Community Based Mental Health Services Utilization among War Survivor Communities of Gondar and Wollo Zones

Abstract

The world has been seriously challenged by mental health problems and untreated mental illnesses result in several adverse consequences including morbidity and mortality. WHO recommended community-based health service (CBMHS) even though the response of people to CBMHS use varies across countries and communities. Ethiopia and war prone communities have their own unique dynamics of context which in turn determines patients‟ behavioral response to CBMHS. This study aimed at investigating the prevalence and barriers of common mental disorders (CMD) as well as utilization of CBMHS in war affected zones of Ethiopia. Absence of studies specifically on examining war induced prevalence of CMD and people‟s responses for CBMHS were the rational for choosing this study and the site. The study used qualitative embedded mixed design with a survey, key informant interview and focus group discussion guides to collect the data and analyzed by SPSS version 24. Personal, perceptual and systemic barriers for the intention and behavior of people to CBMHS are the main findings. Respondents (47.1 %) reported more than half of the symptoms of CMD. But, most of the respondents (78 %) did not show a behavior & intention to use CBMHS. Behavior and intention to CBMHS differ due to anxiety; depression and CMD. CMD are significantly correlated with self-concept and self-efficacy. CBMHS use intention can be predicted by CMD, self-efficacy and self-concept, attitude, knowledge and expectancy, social norms and social constraints. Public health policies are imperative for the better utilization and intention of CBMHS in the war survivor community members. Social work services of all kind are important for the better utilization and intention of CBMHS in the war survivor community members. And finally, the modality of presentation which I would like to use is oral paper presentation.