Journal of Health Literacy

Journal of Health Literacy

Mental Health Literacy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Knowledge about Mental Illnesses among Non-health Professionals in Ethiopia

Document Type : Systematic Review

Authors
Lulu Abebe 1
Berhanu G. Debela 2
Habtamu Endashaw Hareru 2
1 Department of Psychiatry, College of Health and Medical Science, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia
2 School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Science, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia
10.22038/jhl.2025.86561.1730
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Mental illnesses are alarmingly on the rise in both developed and developing countries. Knowledge is a core concept in mental health literacythat aids in recognizing, managing, and preventing mental illnesses. We aimed to systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis on mental illnessesknowledgeamong non-health professionals in Ethiopia.

Materials and Methods: To identify eligible studies, PubMed/MEDLINE, Hinari, AJOL (African Journal Online), Scopus/Science Direct, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were systematically searched from October 2024 to December 2024.This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. All primary studies focusing on mental illnesses knowledge in Ethiopia were considered. The metaprop program on STATA v. 18 was used to calculate the pooled level of mental illnesses knowledge using the random-effects meta-analysis model. A pooled magnitude of mental illnesses knowledge was presented on a forest plot with a 95% CI.

Results: The pooled level of knowledge about mental illnesses among non-health professionals in Ethiopia was 56.93%. Based on subgroup analysis, the knowledge of study participants about mental illnesses varies depending on the study’s region and period.

Conclusion:The finding from this review indicates that a significant number of the population has inadequate knowledge about mental illnesses. Concerned bodies’ should emphasize activities like designing regionally tailored educational messages, increasing media engagement on mental health topics, and implementing community-based mental health interventionsto improve knowledge about mental illnesses.
Keywords
Mental Illnesses
Knowledge
Systematic Review
Meta Analysis andEthiopia

Acknowledgement: We would like to show our heartfelt gratitude to Dilla University for funding this review. Finally, our sincere thanks also go to the authors of the included studies.


Availability of data and materials: The data analyzed during the current systematic review and Meta analysis is available as supporting information files.


Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no competing of interest.


Consent for publication: Not applicable.


Ethics approval and consent to participate: Because the objective of this study is conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis from the existing literature, formal approval by an ethics committee or obtaining informed consent from participants is unnecessary. It should be noted that this approach aligns with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki, ensuring ethical standards are upheld even in literature-based reviews.  


Funding: This review was funded by Dilla University.


Author Contributions: Conceptualization: LA, BGD; Data curation: BGD, HEH; Formal analysis: BGD, LA, HEH; Investigation: LA, BGD; Methodology: LA, BGD, HEH; Software: BGD; Supervision: LA, BGD, HEH; Validation: LA, BGD,HEH; Visualization: LA, BGD,HEH; Writing – original draft: BGD; Writing – review & editing: LA, BGD, HEH .

 

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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