People with low levels of literacy face more mental health problems around the world, according to a study from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the United Kingdom, published this Friday in the scientific journal Mental Health and Social Inclusion.
According to a statement from the UEA, Literacy and Mental Health Worldwide: A Systematic Review is “the first to look at the global picture of literacy and mental health.”
Research shows that the 14% of the world’s population with the lowest or no literacy skills are most likely to suffer from mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
“Despite the rise in literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still approximately 773 million adults worldwide who cannot read and write,” Bonnie Teague, UEA assistant professor, was quoted in a statement.
The researcher adds that these rates are “lower in developing countries and in countries with a history of conflict” and that “women are disproportionately affected”, making up two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people.
Bonnie Teague also mentions that people with higher levels of education are known to “generally have better social outcomes”, such as finding jobs and earning higher wages.
In addition, “the inability to read or write hinders the evolution of a person throughout his life” and is associated with poverty, and is also associated with “health problems, chronic diseases and shorter life expectancy.”
A team of researchers from the UEA Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapy (CPPT) analyzed data from 19 literacy and mental health surveys conducted in nine different countries (China, Brazil, USA, Ghana, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand), with participation of almost two million people and the same number of men and women.
“We found a significant association between literacy and mental health in several countries,” says Lucy Hann, whose participation in the study was part of her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the UEA, noting that it is not certain that low literacy causes problems with mental health.”
The report points to the limitations of the included studies as they are conducted “in just nine countries, many of which are lower-middle-income countries, so it cannot be considered truly representative of the global picture.”
“There may be a number of mental health factors that also affect literacy, such as poverty or living in an area with a history of conflict. However, data show that even under these conditions, there is a decline in health. health in people with low levels of literacy,” says Lucy Hann, quoted in the aforementioned statement.
The study found that “promoting literacy from an early age and throughout life can have a positive impact on mental health.”
On the other hand, it highlights “the importance of health professionals being able to identify and support people with low levels of literacy” in mental health services.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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