Mental health literacy and its associated factors among traditional healers toward mental illness in Northeast, Ethiopia: A mixed approach study

Background: Currently, the biggest issue facing the entire world is mental health. According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, nearly one-fourth of the community is experiencing any of the mental illness categories. Most of the cases were treated in religious and traditional institutions, which the community most liked to be treated. However, there were very limited studies conducted to show the level of mental health literacy among traditional healers. Aims: The study aimed to assess the level of mental health literacy and its associated factors among traditional healers toward mental illness found in Northeast, Ethiopia from September 1-30/2022. Method: A mixed approach cross-sectional study design was carried out on September 130, 2022, using simple random sampling with a total sample of 343. Pretested, structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were utilized for data collection. The level of Mental Health Literacy (MHL) was assessed using the 35 mental health literacy (35-MHLQ) scale. The semi-structured checklist was used for the in-depth interview and the FGD for the qualitative part. Data was entered using Epi-data version 4.6 and, then exported to SPSS version 26 for analysis. The association between outcome and independent variables was analyzed with bivariate and multivariable linear regression. P-values