Promoting mental health help-seeking among adolescents in Accra, Ghana: a community-based approach

Abstract Help-seeking behavior is an indispensable action to reach health in case of illness or distress. In the context of mental health, seeking care involves symptom recognition, accessing resources, and relying on social networks. This is particularly important during adolescence, a vulnerable phase with continuous physical and emotional changes. This study aimed to evaluate a community mental health intervention using the Theory of Planned Behavior in Accra, Ghana, with the goal of increasing help-seeking intention among adolescents, focusing on mental health literacy and psychosocial well-being. Culturally appropriate activities were delivered to an underserved population. The project, facilitated over 6 weeks in collaboration with a local non-profit, took place in a public school with 150 participants. Students were assigned to treatment (n = 80) or control (n = 78) groups through purposive sampling. The intervention included 10 youth-led sessions involving drama and workshops to reduce stigma, build resilience, and connect to formal help-seeking channels. A mixed-methods data collection approach assessed the impact at baseline and post-intervention. In the post-intervention, qualitative analysis revealed a greater frequency of terms such as anxiety, depression, addiction compared to pre-intervention. Mental health literacy increased, with participants moving from a general understanding of illness to accurately identifying conditions and using correct terminology. A two-way ANOVA with an interaction term was used to test the Difference-in-Differences. A significant effect (p = 0.023) was found for informal help-seeking behavior, while no effect was found for formal help-seeking. A significant relationship (p = 0.0386) between social support and informal help-seeking indicated that higher perceived social support increased the intention to seek informal help. The sustainability of the intervention is attributed to co-learning, community engagement, and monthly booster sessions. Key messages • Empowering adolescents to increase mental health awareness and resilience, promoting help-seeking behaviors through culturally relevant education. • Sustainable collaboration is significant to ensure lasting impact, continuing mental health support and awareness in the community.