The relationship between faith-based practices, mental health literacy and probable psychiatric morbidity among primary care users in Türkiye: a cross-sectional study

Although scientific treatments for psychiatric disorders are available today, religious beliefs continue to influence attitudes and behaviors related to mental health in Turkish society. This study aimed to examine the relationship between probable psychiatric morbidity, mental health literacy (MHL), and faith-based practices (FBPs) specific to Turkish culture and Islamic beliefs among primary care users. This descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study included 335 individuals receiving services from family health centers in Zonguldak city center between April 1 and May 1, 2024. Data were collected using the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, and hierarchical regression analysis. The majority of participants reported using at least one faith-based practice, such as prayer and worship, practices against the evil eye, drinking blessed water, and visiting shrines. In the hierarchical regression analysis, the variance explained by sociodemographic variables in the MHLS model was 17% (R 2 =0.170, adjusted R 2 =0.154, F = 10.542, p <.001) whereas the explained variance reached 20.9% with an increase of 3.9% when FBPs were added (R² = 0.209, adjusted R² = 0.175, R² = 0.039, F change = 2.144, p = .039). In the GHQ-28 model, the initial model including sociodemographic variables was not statistically significant (R² = 0.020, adjusted R² = 0.001, F = 1.060, p = .387), whereas the explained variance reached 8.9%, with an increase of 6.9% following the addition of FBPs (R² = 0.089, adjusted R² = 0.050, R² = 0.069, F change = 3.264, p = .002). The practice of drinking blessed water was found to be associated with lower mental health literacy (B = -2.247, p = .005), whereas visiting shrines was associated with a higher risk of probable psychiatric morbidity (B = 4.368, p = .004). The study findings highlight the importance of integrating culturally and faith-sensitive approaches into primary healthcare services to protect and promote community mental health and enhance mental health literacy.