Browsing by Author "Kihara, Micheal"

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    Influence of Age and Gender on Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior among Mental Patients in Nyeri County: A Survey of Nyeri County Referral Hospital
    (African Journal of Education, Science and Technology, 2021-01) Gichimu, Elizabeth Wangari; Rono, C. Ruthie; Kihara, Micheal
    In a given year, around one in five people over the age of 18, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. According toWorld Health Organization (WHO) this condition interferes with their functionality and thus impacting their productivity in society. Considering the role played by the adult population in community development,this papersought to establish how their functionality has lagged behind due to the mental health of this category of people in Nyeri County. The study, therefore, sought to establish the effects of age as well as gender on the mental wellbeing and help-hunting conduct of adults attending Nyeri County Referral Hospital. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design targeting the adult population. A sample size of 200respondents was purposively selected andfrom whom data was collected using a General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) guide. The collected data was then descriptively analyzed and presented in structure of percentages, frequencies, and mean together with standard deviation. To find relationships for testing the hypothesis, chi-square tests were employed. Chi-square outcomes displayed a significant relationship [χ2(21) = 56.976, p= 0.000, v= 0.549] between age and seeking mental health help from a friend. Similarly, there was a significant relationship [χ2(21) = 37.530, p=0.015, v= 0.442] between age and seeking mental health help from relatives or family members. There was a significant relationship (χ2(3) = 10.368, p= 0.016, v= 0.234) between gender and seeking mental health help from parent. Age was found to have a greater influence on mental health seeking behavior in the County as compared with gender.
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    Mental Disorders and Help-Seeking Behavior among Adults Attending Nyeri County Referral Hospital, Kenya
    (African Journal of Education,Science and Technology, 2021-05) Gichimu, Elizabeth Wangari; RonoC. Ruthie; Kihara, Micheal
    Mental illness has become a growing concern of public health which based on World Health Organization has affected roughly500 million persons across the globe. What is more worrying however is that due to high level of stigmatization in society there has not been timely response and decisiveness on the part of patientsor caregivers on seeking help. This has in turn increasedthe disease burden since it is relatively less understood. While most studies have attributed low uptake of mental health services to help-seeking manners of persons having mental infection, it does not go without mention that there is little on record ofhow the disease has affected the lives of many in Kenya.This study with particular interest in Nyeri County investigated the prevalence of mental disorders based on various socio-demographic characteristics of adult patients attending Nyeri County Referral Hospital. The paper further conducted an assessment of the help-seeking behaviour among patients. The study was anchored in the health belief model and employed a cross-sectional survey design. The study targeted Adults attending Nyeri County ReferralHospital from which a sample of 200 respondents were purposeful selected. Questionnaire guide was used to collect data which was later analysed descriptively. The study established that women were more affected than menand that seeking help was intentional among the patients despite the fact that some respondents could not seek help for fear of intimidation or lack of trust in the system. Nonetheless, most (79%) respondents had intentions of seekingmental health help infuture even though they did not know where to get the help from. The study recommends that public health officials should diversify the channels of health messages on mental health services to reach majority of people