KENYA NATIONAL ADOLESCENT - MENTAL HEALTH SURVEY - KEY FINDINGS

Summary

In 2021, the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), along with the University of Queensland (Australia) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health together with local partners conducted the Kenya National Adolescent Mental Health Survey (K-NAMHS). [...] The aims of K-NAMHS were to: i) Determine the prevalence of mental disorders in adolescents aged 10-17 years ii) Measure associated risk and protective factors for adolescent mental health ii) Examine use of [mental] health services 2 Kenya National Adolescent Mental Health Survey: Key Findings Approach We conducted a nationally representative household survey of adolescents and their primary care. [...] 3 Kenya National Adolescent Mental Health Survey: Key Findings 48 47.5 47 45.7 46 44.9 45 44.3 43.6 44 43.7 43.6 42.9 43 42.2 42 41 40 39 Males Females Total 10-13 years % 14-17 years % 10-17 years % Figure 1 : 12-month prevalence of mental health problems by sex and age group • There were age and sex differences in the prevalence of specific types of mental health problems. [...] • The primary caregiver was also asked about their adolescent’s need for help for emotional and behavioral problems during the pandemic, whether they used services for these problems during the pandemic, and what barriers related to COVID-19 stopped them from getting the help for their adolescent.15.1% of primary caregivers indicated that their adolescent needed help for emotional and behavioral p. [...] • Given the potential level of unmet need for mental health services in the Kenyan adolescent population, it is equally important to improve the availability and quality of mental health services for adolescents as well as taking steps to increase help-seeking behaviors.