Information dissemination and collaboration of librarians with health practitioners for sustainable mental health literacy among youths in rural areas of north-central, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was on Information Dissemination and Collaboration of Librarians with Health Practitioners for Sustainable Mental Health Literacy among Youths in Rural Areas of North-central, Nigeria. The study was guided by two  bjectives and two corresponding research questions which are to determine the influence of information dissemination on the mental health literacy of the youths in the rural areas of North-central, Nigeria; find out the influence of social media on the mental health literacy of the youths in the rural areas of North-central, Nigeria. A survey research design method was adopted for the study. The total population of the youths under study was one hundred and eight thousand, seven hundred and thirty-seven (108,737). The sample size of the youth population was three hundred and eighty-three (383) drawn from Gill et al. (2010) sample size table for determining the sample size of a population. A purposive method of sampling was employed to sample six (6) participants from the public libraries and public health centres under study. The uestionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection. Out of three hundred and eighty-three (383) copies of the questionnaire administered, six hundred and eighty-three (683) copies were filled, returned and used for the analysis. Descriptive statistical tools involving frequency counts and percentages mean and standard deviation as well as narrative analysis were used to analyse the data. The findings of the study indicated that mental health literacy among the rural youths of North-central Nigeria is very low and that there is a significant relationship between information dissemination, collaboration between librarians and mental health practitioners and mental health literacy. The study recommended among others that the ministries of information and ministries of health in the North-central states should form a consortium that facilitates and oversees collaboration between public librarians and mental health practitioners for a sustainable boost to the mental health literacy of the rural youths.