Mental health orientation among ASHAs: A study from Karnataka State, India

Mental health orientation among ASHAs: A study from Karnataka State, India

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Introduction: The high mental health treatment gap in India, necessitates mental health service delivery through the primary health care system.Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) as frontline community health workers are a key member of chervo jacke herren the primary health care team.The ASHAs training needs related to mental health, require to be determined in order to accordingly tailor capacity-building programs.In this context, the present study aims to examine the ASHAs mental health orientation utilizing a factorially validated Indian tool.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 91 ASHAs from a taluk of Bengaluru Urban District, responded to the self-administered Orientation towards Mental Illness (OMI) scale.

Data were analysed using descriptive statistics viz.frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations.Results: The ASHAs reported an overall unfavourable mental health orientation and the specific OMI a&d ej-123 factors on which unfavourable orientation was observed were Psychosocial stress, Non-restrained behaviour, Weak cognitive control, Fidgety behaviour, Bizarre behaviour, Psychosocial manipulation, and Hypo-functioning.Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that capacity-building programs for ASHAs will need to first examine their orientation to mental health and collaboratively address an unfavourable orientation when present, as it would have a bearing on ASHAs mental health service delivery in the community.