Considering that our world is fast with the proliferation of smart technologies as a significant characteristic, the scale leverages from and aligns with technology to ensure individual comfort without the fear of stigmatization.
A Stakeholders’ Engagement on Mental Health and Well-being for Effective Science Communication was held at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria by FAR-LeaF research fellow Dr Jumoke Oladele.
Mental health and well-being are important aspects of university students' lives, with several facets that impact social, intellectual, and personal spheres. A 2020 World Health Organization survey revealed that 89% of countries reported that mental health and psychosocial support is necessary to achieve SDG goal 3 of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. As such, universities that place a high priority on mental health create an environment that fosters holistic development and student achievement.
Mental health is an essential component of overall well-being, encompassing emotional, psychological, and social aspects of an individual's life. This need informed Dr Oladele’s study: Developing a Computerised Adaptive Test for Evaluating Mental Health and Well-Being Post COVID-19. She said universities should be aware of students' changing emotional responses to crises and ensure student support.
The Stakeholders’ Engagement on Mental Health and Well-being for Effective Science Communication engagement was attended by United Nations Senior Human Rights Advisor Ms Adwoa Kufor, who presented on “Mental Health & Human Rights”. She stressed that more than 1 in 10 people are living with a mental health condition at any one time. Treatment coverage is unacceptably poor, especially in low- and middle-income countries and in the absence of holistic community-based mental health support. Mental health is strongly associated with social, economic, and physical environments, and the lack thereof is associated with poverty, violence, stigma, discrimination, and other human rights violations. The right to health includes physical and mental health within the Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality (AAAQ) framework to be considered while proffering early intervention.
The event was geared towards ensuring transparency, accountability mechanisms, and public participation in all stages of prioritising, planning, implementing, and monitoring the developed mental well-being scale while allowing for constructive dialogue between government actors, service providers, and service users. The dialogue should be based on facts rather than perceptions about the state’s human rights obligation to deliver public services to the Nigerian university undergraduate student population.
The event was made possible with funding by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Dr Oladele acknowledged the inputs from all the professionals who participated in the transdisciplinary teams at the various stages of this project and whose timely contributions led to the success of the project.
Dr Oladele showcased the MWB-CAT test she designed as a non-illness intervention that offers a multifaceted approach to mental health promotion, emphasising prevention, resilience, and the enhancement of well-being. The MWB-CAT test was based on an extensive literature review and guided by the World Health Organization’s conception of mental well-being as a relevant mental health supportive service within the African context.
Report submitted by Jumoke Oladele
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