People With Lower Literacy Prone To Mental Health Problems -Study

People with lower literacy are prone to mental health problems, a new study from the University of East Anglia has shown.

The study which was undertaken by the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Therapies (CPPT), amongst others, links poor literacy to worse mental health worldwide.

It says people with poor literacy battle more mental health problems, worldwide, amidst submission that fourteen percent of the world’s population still has little or no literacy.

The researchers add this percent are more likely to suffer mental health issues such as loneliness, depression, and anxiety.

According to the study, women who account for two thirds of the world’s illiterate, are more disproportionately affect women,.

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Data for the study were obtained from 19 studies that measured both literacy and mental health of almost two million participants from the USA, China, Nepal, Thailand, Iran, India, Ghana, Pakistan, and Brazil.

“Despite rising literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still an estimated 773 million adults globally who can’t read or write. Literacy rates are lower in developing countries and those with a history of conflict, and women are disproportionately affected”, submits a team member, Dr Bonnie Teague from UEA’s Norwich Medical School.

“We know that people with better literacy tend to have better social outcomes in terms of things like finding employment, being paid well, and being able to afford better food and housing. Not being able to read or write holds a person back throughout their life and they often become trapped in poverty or more likely to commit crime.

-Mental Health Challenges 2-

“We also know that lower literacy is related to poorer health, chronic diseases and shorter life expectancy.

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“There has been some research examining the potential association between literacy and mental health but this is the first study looking at the issue on a global scale.”

“We used information relating to mental health and literacy to assess the global reported relationship between these two factors” said Dr Lucy Hunn who completed the systematic review as part of her Doctorate in clinical psychology training at UEA.

She added: “What we found is a significant association between literacy and mental health outcomes across multiple countries.

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“People with lower literacy had greater mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

“We can’t say for sure that poor literacy causes poor mental health, but there is a strong association.

“There may be multiple factors impacting on mental health which also impact literacy – such as poverty or living in an area with a history of conflict. However, what the data does show is that even in these places, you still see worse mental health for those without literacy skills”, she said.

-Picture courtesies: Telegraph india & Atlascorps