Exploring the mental health of young people in households and schools in Gorongosa District, Center of Mozambique
Article
Igreja, Victor, Axelsen, Taryn and Brekelmans, Alana. 2024. "Exploring the mental health of young people in households and schools in Gorongosa District, Center of Mozambique." Scientific Reports. 14 (1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79257-7
| Article Title | Exploring the mental health of young people in households and schools in Gorongosa District, Center of Mozambique |
|---|---|
| ERA Journal ID | 201487 |
| Article Category | Article |
| Authors | Igreja, Victor, Axelsen, Taryn and Brekelmans, Alana |
| Journal Title | Scientific Reports |
| Journal Citation | 14 (1) |
| Article Number | 28057 |
| Number of Pages | 15 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
| ISSN | 2045-2322 |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79257-7 |
| Web Address (URL) | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79257-7 |
| Abstract | The mental health needs of young people in sub-Saharan African societies remain understudied. This study builds upon the everyday perspectives of young people in Gorongosa, a rural district in central Mozambique, to determine the frequency and severity of key mental health issues, identify significant risk and protective factors, and their associations with demographic factors and mental health predictors. This cross-sectional study gathered culturally and ecologically relevant variables, such as sociodemographic indicators and risk and protective factors. The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Self-Report Questionnaire (SRQ) and Nocturnal Intrusions after Traumatic Experiences Questionnaire (NITE) were used to determine the prevalence and severity of key mental health issues. A convenience sampling was used involving n = 794 young people of those (45.8%) were females and the mean age of all participants was 17.24 years (SD 2.9). To examine the results, univariate analysis, chi-square tests, binary logistic regression analyses and odds ratio were used. Risk factors were pervasive in households, communities, and schools. Mental health problems were commonly linked to severe depression (14.2%), anxiety-related disorders (39.3%), sleep disturbances (37.3%), and anxiety dreams (27.5%). Gender, age, and protective factors were associated with the frequency and severity of mental health outcomes, while living with both parents protected against the severity of anxiety-related disorders. Understanding the contextual mental health needs of young people in rural Mozambique is crucial for developing insights to craft and implement targeted public mental health interventions in resource-limited settings. Addressing mental health issues among young people necessitates a concentrated effort on understanding and managing the interplay of risks and protective factors within families, communities, and schools. |
| Keywords | Young people; Depression; Anxiety; Sleeping disturbances; Risks and protective factors; Rural settings; Africa; Mozambique |
| Article Publishing Charge (APC) Funding | Project Funding |
| Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
| ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 441011. Sociology of health |
| 441009. Sociology of family and relationships | |
| 420606. Social determinants of health | |
| 441003. Rural sociology | |
| Byline Affiliations | School of Humanities and Communication |
| School of Mathematics, Physics and Computing | |
| University of Queensland |
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| License: CC BY 4.0 | ||
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