Mental Health Knowledge, Anticipated Discrimination and Social Functioning Among Women Living with Psychosocial Disability in Rural Kenya

Levels of mental health awareness in rural Kenya remain very low with higher levels of stigma and discrimination towards people with psychosocial disabilities, especially for women. This study aimed to describe the levels and correlates of mental health knowledge, discrimination and social functioning among rural women with psychosocial disabilities in Kenya. We randomly recruited 25 women living with psychosocial disabilities in a rural county. Mental health knowledge was measured by Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), anticipated discrimination was measured by Questionnaire on Anticipated Discrimination while social functioning was measured using the Social Functioning questionnaire. The mean age of study participants was 36.6 ± 3.0 and the mean score of MAKS was 21.9 ± 30. The most endorsed item was referring a friend with mental illness to a professional to seek help. The prevalence of low social functioning was 64%. In terms of identification of mental illness, majority (88%) identified depression as a mental illness. Higher mental health knowledge was associated with a higher level of education ( p = 0.012), being self-employed as opposed to unemployed ( p = 0.018) and earning monthly income ( p = 0.023). The most frequent reason for anticipated discrimination was friends and neighbors knowing about their mental health problems (24.0%). Anticipated discrimination was associated with participants who had ever been treated for a mental health problem ( p = 0.05). Poor social functioning was significantly correlated with the number of years lived with disability ( p < 0.001). Poor mental health awareness and discrimination against people with psychosocial disabilities limit their functioning, health-seeking and recovery in Kenya. There is need for prioritization of mental health services and increased mental health awareness to improve health-seeking behavior, social participation and recovery for persons with psychosocial disabilities.