Abstract:
Background: Adolescent mental health is a significant public health concern in low- and middle-income countries like Ethiopia, where depression remains under-recognized and untreated. Mental health literacy (MHL) is crucial for improving awareness and care, but its relationship with adolescent depression in Ethiopia has not been well studied.
Objectives: To examine the association between MHL and depression among adolescents aged 10-19 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed secondary data from the DASH Project, conducted in Yeka Sub-city, involving 1,384 adolescents aged 10–19. Mental health literacy was measured using the UMHLS-A, and depression using the PHQ-9. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics. Due to the positively skewed distribution of depression scores (skewness = 1.92), Generalized Linear Models (GLM) were used to assess associations between MHL, socio-demographics, and depression, adjusting for confounders (mean VIF = 1.49, p < 0.05).
Results: Depression scores (PHQ-9) ranged from 0 to 27, with a mean of 2.5 (SD ± 3.06). Help-seeking (HS) was the only MHL domain statistically significantly associated with depression (β = -0.3212, p < 0.001); each unit increase in HS score corresponded to a 0.32-point reduction in depression scores. Other MHL domains were not significantly linked. Significant socio-demographic factors included age, sex, parental status, education level, and sibling status.
Conclusion & Recommendation: MHL, particularly help-seeking behavior is significantly associated with depression among adolescents in Addis Ababa. Interventions should target high-risk groups (older adolescents, females, and those with parental loss) and promote help-seeking through school- and family-based MHL programs.
Keywords: Mental Health Literacy, Help-Seeking, Knowledge, Stigma, Depression, Adolescents