Perception of primary school teachers to school children’s mental health problems in Southwest Ethiopia
-
Habtamu Kerebih
,
Hailay Abrha
Abstract
Background:
Teachers perception of child mental health problems and their attitude to school-based mental health services helps in designing early intervention strategies aimed at promoting the service. However, little is known in this regard among primary school teachers in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study assessed perceptions and attitude of primary school teachers to child mental health problem and school-based mental health programs in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia in 2013.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study design was implemented among 568 primary school teachers in Jimma town, from 1 to 30 October 2013. Perceptions and attitude of teachers to children with mental health problems and school mental health related information were assessed using a structured self- administered questionnaire.
Results:
About 40% of teachers recognized the list of psychopathology items presented to them as child mental health problems while 54.4% of them rated child mental health problem as severe. Externalizing behaviors were perceived as the most severe problems. Teaching experience and teaching in public schools were significantly associated with the perception of severe type of child mental health problems. About 95% of teachers acknowledged that school-based mental health programs are important but limited availability was reported.
Conclusion:
Despite the high problem severity ratings, teachers’ perception of the psychopathology as a mental health problem in children was low. There was also a favorable attitude on the importance and the need of school-based child mental health programs. Thus, creating mental health awareness for teachers and establishing school mental health services to intervene in child mental health problem is crucial.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Jimma University for its financial support to conduct the study. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the primary school teachers of Jimma town for their unreserved willingness to participate in the study.
Conflict of interest: The authors declared no conflict of interest.
Authors’ contribution: HK contributed in idea conception, topic selection, write up of proposal for funding, data analysis, write up of results and the manuscript. MA, HB and RF contributed idea generation in title selection, contributed in organizing the references that were important to the study, commented on both the proposal draft and the results as well as manuscript write up.
Appendices
Percentages, mean and standard deviation scores of teachers’ answers concerning the types of child mental health problems that present 1 (no problem), 2 (mild problem), 3 (moderate problem), 4 (severe problem) and 5 (very severe problem) for them and their opinion whether it is a mental health problem (yes) or not (no) among primary school teachers in Jimma town, October 2013.
| Type of child mental health problem | Severity of children’s mental health problems (%) | Mean | SD | MHP (yes) n (%) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| Thinks things out before acting | 5.6 | 18.4 | 30.9 | 39.4a | 5.6 | 3.21 | 0.993 | 155 (30.1) |
| Restless, overactive, cannot stay still for long | 3.5 | 20 | 39.2a | 29.1 | 8.2 | 3.18 | 0.962 | 315 (61.2) |
| Quarreling and bullying other children | 6.4 | 23.5 | 27.6 | 32.6a | 9.9 | 3.16 | 1.094 | 210 (40.8) |
| Often lies or cheats | 5.8 | 22.3 | 32.4a | 32.4a | 7.0 | 3.12 | 1.025 | 145 (28.2) |
| Constantly fidgeting or squirming | 9.3 | 23.2 | 27.2 | 31.8a | 8.3 | 3.07 | 1.121 | 232 (45.0) |
| Often does not offer to help others (parents, teachers, children) | 7.8 | 24.1 | 37.9a | 25.6 | 4.7 | 2.95 | 0.997 | 122 (23.7) |
| Poor attention span, does not see work through to the end | 8.7 | 27.2 | 36.1a | 23.7 | 4.3 | 2.88 | 1.009 | 189 (36.7) |
| Often complains of headaches, stomach-aches or sickness | 6.2 | 27.4 | 43.7a | 18.3 | 4.5 | 2.87 | 0.932 | 138 (26.8) |
| Easily distracted, concentration wanders | 9.1 | 26.0 | 38.1a | 23.5 | 3.3 | 2.86 | 0.99 | 176 (34.2) |
| Not kind to younger children | 9.7 | 27 | 35.9a | 23.7 | 3.7 | 2.85 | 1.011 | 147 (28.5) |
| Often unhappy, depressed or tearful | 8.7 | 28 | 36.5a | 23.7 | 3.1 | 2.84 | 0.984 | 195 (37.9) |
| Uses obscene words | 15.0 | 27.6a | 24.7 | 25.6 | 7 | 2.82 | 1.178 | 107 (20.8) |
| Often loses temper | 9.1 | 29.3 | 36.5a | 21.4 | 3.7 | 2.81 | 0.995 | 283 (55.0) |
| Picked on or bullied by other youth | 10.7 | 26.4 | 38.6a | 20 | 4.1 | 2.80 | 1.009 | 132 (25.6) |
| Would rather be alone than with other children | 8.3 | 30.9 | 36.7a | 20.6 | 3.5 | 2.80 | 0.975 | 291 (56.50) |
| Generally not well behaved, usually does not do what adults request | 7.8 | 31.3 | 36.9a | 21.4 | 2.7 | 2.80 | 0.955 | 193 (37.5) |
| Many fears, easily scared | 8.5 | 37.3a | 35.9 | 14.2 | 4.1 | 2.68 | 0.959 | 195 (37.9) |
| Nervous in new situations, easily loses confidence | 11.3 | 33.0 | 37.1a | 15 | 3.5 | 2.66 | 0.983 | 152 (29.5) |
| Generally not liked by other children | 10.7 | 35.5a | 35.0 | 15.3 | 3.3 | 2.65 | 0.972 | 138 (26.8) |
| Not helpful if someone is hurt, upset or feeling ill | 11.1 | 32.8 | 38.4a | 15.3 | 2.3 | 2.65 | 0.949 | 131 (25.4) |
| Many worries or often seems worried | 13.0 | 30.5 | 39.0a | 14.2 | 3.3 | 2.65 | 0.985 | 156 (30.3) |
| Has not at least one good friend | 9.7 | 40.4a | 30.9 | 14.8 | 4.3 | 2.63 | 0.992 | 149 (28.9) |
| Refuse to share readily with other youth, e.g. books, games | 9.3 | 34 | 43.7a | 11.7 | 1.4 | 2.62 | 0.859 | 198 (38.4) |
| Gets along better with adults than with other youth | 14.2 | 33.2 | 36.3a | 13.8 | 2.5 | 2.57 | 0.978 | 149 (28.9) |
| Is untidy in personal hygiene | 17.1 | 33.2 | 34.8a | 11.3 | 3.7 | 2.51 | 1.018 | 113 (21.9) |
| Not considerate of other people’s feelings | 21 | 25.8 | 38.8a | 12.8 | 1.6 | 2.48 | 1.01 | 314 (61.0) |
| Truancy from school | 24.5 | 33.8a | 29.1 | 10.7 | 1.9 | 2.32 | 1.021 | 116 (22.5) |
| Spelling problems | 23.7 | 48.3a | 21 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 2.13 | 0.888 | 114 (22.1) |
| Mathematics problems | 26.2 | 47.4a | 18.1 | 6.4 | 1.9 | 2.10 | 0.93 | 111 (21.6) |
| Writing problems | 29.7 | 48a | 14.6 | 5.6 | 2.1 | 2.03 | 0.928 | 120 (23.3) |
| Steals from home, school or elsewhere | 38.3a | 32.6 | 21.4 | 6.6 | 1.2 | 2.00 | 0.983 | 122 (23.7) |
| Speech and language problems | 31.5 | 48.7a | 13.2 | 4.1 | 2.5 | 1.97 | 0.915 | 115 (22.3) |
| Reading problems | 30.5 | 50.7a | 12.2 | 5.2 | 1.2 | 1.95 | 0.861 | 120 (23.3) |
| Substance use (cigarette, khat, etc.) | 51.7a | 24.7 | 14.4 | 6.4 | 2.9 | 1.84 | 1.075 | 147 (28.5) |
| Is suspicious | 49.5a | 27.4 | 16.3 | 4.3 | 2.5 | 1.83 | 1.014 | 150 (29.1) |
| Day time wetting of clothes | 74.4a | 13.6 | 5.6 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 1.47 | 0.967 | 155 (30.1) |
n=515, aDegree of mode, MHP=Mental health problems, SD=standard deviations.
A list of child mental health problems categories.
| Children mental health categories | Symptoms or items of child mental health problems |
|---|---|
| Emotional problems | Often complains of headaches, stomach-aches or sickness |
| Often unhappy, depressed or tearful | |
| Many fears, easily scared | |
| Nervous in new situations, easily loses confidence | |
| Many worries or often seems worried | |
| Peer-relationship problems | Picked on or bullied by other youth |
| Would rather be alone than with other children | |
| Generally not liked by other children | |
| Has not at least one good friend | |
| Gets along better with adults than with other youth | |
| Hyperactivity problems | Thinks things out before acting |
| Restless, overactive, cannot stay still for a long time | |
| Constantly fidgeting or squirming | |
| Poor attention span, does not see work through to the end | |
| Easily distracted, concentration wanders | |
| Conduct problems | Quarreling and bullying other children |
| Often lies or cheats | |
| Often loses temper | |
| Generally not well behaved, usually does not do what adults request | |
| Steals from home, school or elsewhere | |
| Pro-social deficit problems | Not considerate of other people’s feelings |
| Not kind to younger children | |
| Not helpful if someone is hurt, upset or feeling ill | |
| Refuse to shares readily with other youth, e.g. books, games | |
| Often does not offer to help others (parents, teachers, children) | |
| Learning problems | Spelling problems |
| Mathematics problems | |
| Writing problems | |
| Reading problems | |
| Other problems | Uses obscene words |
| Truancy from school | |
| Untidy in personal hygiene | |
| Speech and language problems | |
| Substance use | |
| Suspicious | |
| Day time wetting of clothes |
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Articles in the same Issue
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- Pre-aesculapian messages from ancient archives of Mesopotamia: the Epic of Gilgamesh and the library of Ashurbanipal
- Review
- A systematic review on critical thinking in medical education
- Original Articles
- Persistence of metabolic syndrome and its impact on glucose metabolism in overweight and obese children and adolescents
- Cross-sectional analysis of food choice frequency, sleep confounding beverages, and psychological distress predictors of sleep quality
- Adolescents’ knowledge and opinions about smoking: a qualitative study from the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site, Bhaktapur District, Nepal
- A qualitative study on how adolescent males in South India view reproductive health
- Perception of primary school teachers to school children’s mental health problems in Southwest Ethiopia
- Preparation for sexual and reproductive self-care in Iranian adolescent girls: a qualitative study
- Serum ischemia-modified albumin levels in adolescent smokers
- Perceptions and use of sources of health knowledge by young adolescents
- An exploratory study of fears among adolescent students from an urban cohort in India
- Alcohol misuse and gateway theory: a longitudinal study among adolescents in Switzerland
- Two-year prospective study of characteristics and outcome of adolescents referred to an adolescent urgent psychiatric clinic
- Screening for celiac disease in patients with eating disorders
- Clustering of behavioural risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among rural-based adolescents in south-west Nigeria
- Knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and estimation of frequency of condom use among Iranian students based on a crosswise model
- Depressive symptoms, hostility, and hopelessness in inner-city adolescent health clinic patients: factor structure and demographic correlates
- Short Communications
- Japanese university students’ views on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals based on previous encounters
- YouTube™ videos related to human papillomavirus: the need for professional communication
- Utility of salivary enzyme immunoassays for measuring estradiol and testosterone in adolescents: a pilot study
- Salivary testosterone as a potential indicator for risky behaviour associated with smoking-related peer pressure in adolescents
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorial
- Pre-aesculapian messages from ancient archives of Mesopotamia: the Epic of Gilgamesh and the library of Ashurbanipal
- Review
- A systematic review on critical thinking in medical education
- Original Articles
- Persistence of metabolic syndrome and its impact on glucose metabolism in overweight and obese children and adolescents
- Cross-sectional analysis of food choice frequency, sleep confounding beverages, and psychological distress predictors of sleep quality
- Adolescents’ knowledge and opinions about smoking: a qualitative study from the Jhaukhel-Duwakot Health Demographic Surveillance Site, Bhaktapur District, Nepal
- A qualitative study on how adolescent males in South India view reproductive health
- Perception of primary school teachers to school children’s mental health problems in Southwest Ethiopia
- Preparation for sexual and reproductive self-care in Iranian adolescent girls: a qualitative study
- Serum ischemia-modified albumin levels in adolescent smokers
- Perceptions and use of sources of health knowledge by young adolescents
- An exploratory study of fears among adolescent students from an urban cohort in India
- Alcohol misuse and gateway theory: a longitudinal study among adolescents in Switzerland
- Two-year prospective study of characteristics and outcome of adolescents referred to an adolescent urgent psychiatric clinic
- Screening for celiac disease in patients with eating disorders
- Clustering of behavioural risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among rural-based adolescents in south-west Nigeria
- Knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy and estimation of frequency of condom use among Iranian students based on a crosswise model
- Depressive symptoms, hostility, and hopelessness in inner-city adolescent health clinic patients: factor structure and demographic correlates
- Short Communications
- Japanese university students’ views on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals based on previous encounters
- YouTube™ videos related to human papillomavirus: the need for professional communication
- Utility of salivary enzyme immunoassays for measuring estradiol and testosterone in adolescents: a pilot study
- Salivary testosterone as a potential indicator for risky behaviour associated with smoking-related peer pressure in adolescents
