People with a low level of literacy face more mental health problems around the world, indicates 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, the study “Literacy and Mental Health Around the World: A Systematic Review” is “the first to analyze the global landscape 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 increase in literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still approximately 773 million adults around the world who cannot read or write,” Bonnie Teague, UEA associate professor, was quoted as saying in the statement.
The researcher adds that these rates “are lower in developing countries and those with a history of conflict” and that “women are disproportionately affected”, since they represent two thirds of illiterate people in the world.
Bonnie Teague also mentions that it is known that people with more education “tend to have better social outcomes”, for example, finding a job and earning better wages.
In addition, “not knowing how to read or write makes it difficult for a person to evolve throughout their lives” and is linked to poverty, and is also related “to health problems, chronic diseases and a shorter life expectancy”.
The team of researchers from the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies (CPPT) of the UEA analyzed data from 19 studies with calculations on literacy and mental health, carried out in nine different countries (China, Brazil, the United States, Ghana, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan and Thailand), involving almost two million people and a similar number of men and women.
“What we found was a significant association between literacy and mental health across several countries,” says Lucy Hunn, whose participation in the study was part of her doctoral training in clinical psychology at UEA, noting that you can’t say “It is certain that low literacy causes mental health problems.”
The report notes the limitations of the included studies that they come from “only nine countries, many of which are lower-middle-income countries, and thus cannot be considered truly representative of the global picture.”
“There could be a number of factors that affect mental health that also affect literacy, such as poverty or living in an area with a history of conflict. However, what the data shows is that, even in these settings, you see a worse mental health, health in those with a low level of literacy,” says Lucy Hunn, quoted in the aforementioned statement.
The study finds that “promoting literacy from an early age and throughout life has the potential to 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 literacy” in services related to mental health.
Source: TSF
