Search

Shegaye Shumet,1 Telake Azale,2 Dessie Abebaw Angaw,3 Getachew Tesfaw,1 Messele Wondie,1 Wondale Getinet Alemu,1 Tadele Amare,1 Tilahun Kassew,1 Gebremeskel Mesafint4 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 2Department of Health Education and Behavioral Science, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 3Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 4Mizan-Tapi University, College of Health Science, Department of Nursing, Mizan Aman, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Gebremeskel MesafintMizan-Tapi University, College of Health Science, Department of Nursing, Mizan Aman, EthiopiaTel +251918209867Email mulegeta111@gmail.comBackground: Globally, 350 million people are suffering from depression. Many people suffering from depression use different sources of help for their problems. People with different mental health problems seek help from formal and/or informal sources. This gives crucial information on community beliefs and perception regarding their preference for help. This study helps to guide effective planning and provision of mental health services, and health policy of the country to explore the community’s preference to different sources of help.Objective: The aim was to contrast patterns of formal and informal help-seeking preferences for depression among residents of Aykel town, Northwest Ethiopia.Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study included 832 participants. We used a major depressive disorder case vignette and general help-seeking questionnaire (GHSQ) to assess preference to seek help. Study participants were selected by multistage cluster sampling technique. An independent sample t-test and analysis of variance test (ANOVA) was performed.Results: A total of 656 subjects (78.8%) showed high propensity to intimate partner, and 655 (78.7%) of the study subjects had high propensity to mental health professional. The mean score of the residents’ preference to seek help from informal sources was 3.41± 0.60. The mean score of preference to seek help from formal sources was 3.18± 0.75. A total of 276 (33.2%) subjects showed high propensity to both informal and formal sources of help. The results also showed there was a mean score difference in preference for informal help between subjects with strong social support and low and moderate social support (P< 0.001).Conclusion: The result suggests that the majority of the residents had a higher preference to seek help from informal sources than formal sources of care. Providing and strengthening both formal and informal sources of help in conjunction are crucial to get a more qualified and effective care for depressed patients.Keywords: depression, preference to seek help, Ethiopia

Helen Lamesgin Endalew,1 Bikis Liyew,2 Tilahun Kassew,3 Gebrekidan Ewnetu Tarekegn,4 Ambaye Dejen Tilahun,2 Tesfa Sewunet Alamneh4 1Department of Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 2Department of Emergency and Critical Care Nursing, School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 3Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia; 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Bikis LiyewDepartment of Emergency and Critical Care Nursing, School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, P.O.Box 196, Gondar, EthiopiaTel +251932731964Email biksliyew16@gmail.comBackground: Myocardial infarction is the fifth leading causes of disability-adjusted life years in low-income countries including Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to construct a hypothetical model to determine the factors affecting the health-related quality of life of myocardial infarction survivors at the cardiac center Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed, and 421 myocardial infarction patients were enrolled through consecutive sampling technique from the outpatient clinic at the cardiac center of Ethiopia. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF-26 tool was used to assess the problem. It consists of four domains such as physical, psychological, social relationships, and environmental health domains. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was employed using STATA-14 software to examine the relationship between various exogenous and endogenous or mediating variables with overall quality of life.Results: Psychological, physical, environmental health domains and sex had significant association with health-related quality of life (β=0.708, p< 0.001, β= 0.237, p=0.046, β=0.242, p=0.020, and β=0.189, p=0.017, respectively), whereas age had direct, negative association with health-related quality of life (β=− 0.007, p=0.026). Residence and level of education were not directly associated with health-related quality of life. Residence indirectly, negatively influenced health-related quality of life (β= − 0.379, p< 0.001). On the other hand, level of education indirectly, positively affects health-related quality of life (β=i0.133, p< 0.001).Conclusion: Psychological health factors had the most substantial causal effect on health-related quality of life, which was larger than the causal effects of physical and environmental health-related factors. Developing and providing comprehensive interventions are necessary to assess and manage psychological, physical, and environmental health factors and to improve the quality of life in myocardial infarction patients.Keywords: health-related quality of life, myocardial infarction, structural equation model, Ethiopia