Mental health literacy, treatment preferences, and barriers in Salvadorian parents

Abstract

Parents are pivotal in accessing treatment for their children, yet we know little about youth mental health literacy in parents. This is particularly the case in developing countries such as El Salvador, where good parent mental health literacy about children’s psychological problems may play a pivotal role in being able to navigate treatment access in an already underfunded and poorly resourced system. This study examined parent mental health literacy about child anxiety disorders in El Salvador; parent perceptions and preferences for treatment-seeking; and perceived barriers to accessing mental health treatment. Parents (N = 271) of youth aged 4–17 in El Salvador answered questions about three vignettes depicting different childhood anxiety disorders. The majority of parents did not recognize specific youth anxiety disorders. Less than 5% of parents identified the vignettes as a mental health problem, most commonly attributing symptoms to personal weakness or stress. Parents endorsed generally positive views about seeking treatment, preferring non-pharmacological mental health treatments, informal support from grandparents and religious leaders, and handling the problem personally. The most common barriers to treatment-seeking were related to cost and service availability. Improving parent mental health literacy may assist with treatment-seeking. Results have implications for mental health policy decisions and service implementation in El Salvador.

Keywords:

• Anxiety disorders
• child
• parent
• developing countries
• mental health literacy

Acknowledgments

We would like to gratefully acknowledge and thank the Tin Marin Children’s Museum for facilitating this research in their institution. We would also like to acknowledge the contribution of Scarlett Martin in facilitating the translation of study materials.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Fulbright Scholarship Award to the last author. Dr. Carly Johnco receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Nicole McBride, Sandra Cepeda, Daniel Guttfreund, and Juan Carlos Novoa report no financial interests or potential conflicts of interest. Dr Alison Salloum receives grant support from the National Institute of Mental Health (1R01MH107522-01). Dr. Eric Storch receives grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), All Children’s Hospital Research Foundation, and a Fulbright Scholar Award. He receives royalties from Springer, Wiley, Elsevier, and the American Psychological Association.