Mental health literacy among Nigerian teachers.

INTRODUCTION: Teachers are frontline professionals who have daily contact with children and are therefore most likely to have the biggest impact on their students. Findings in this study should inform the development of teacher training programs, and more broadly, assist in the success of a strategic plan addressing mental health in classrooms. This study aims to assess mental health literacy among teachers with focus on their knowledge of depression.

METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey conducted among teachers in five secondary schools (high school) in southeast Nigeria. All consenting teachers were recruited, making a total of 120 participants. The participants were presented with a questionnaire designed to elicit the participants' recognition of the disorder depicted in two vignettes and their recommendation about the appropriate source of help seeking. One vignette was of a clinically depressed case while the other vignette was about a girl undergoing normal life crisis.

RESULTS: Out of the 120 teachers recruited into the study, 104 questionnaires were adequately completed indicating a response rate of 86.7%. A total of 16.3% (n = 17) participants correctly identified and labeled the depression vignette. Only 14 teachers (13.5%) recommended professional help from a psychiatrist or psychologist. Diminished ability to concentrate was the most identified symptom of distress for depression (30.8%). Counsellors were the most recommended source of help.

DISCUSSION: Mental health literacy was poor among the teachers surveyed. There is an urgent need to improve mental health literacy among teachers in Nigeria.