Prevalence of Psychosocial Disability and Unmet Needs for Access and Utilization of Services in Sierra Leone

Abstract

Psychosocial disability (PD) refers to the difficulties that persons with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) have performing daily tasks because of their impairments, which often prevents them from participating in society through education, employment, recreation, relationships, and having a decent place to live. In the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Research, mental illness was the largest cause of years spent disabled, with most of those affected living in poor and middle-income nations (LMIC) like Sierra Leone. Based on the above, this study seeks to describe the prevalence of psychosocial disability and unmet needs for access and utilization of services in Sierra Leone in addressing the burden of PD. The research used a cross-sectional study design and analytic by type. The cross-sectional design was used to describe the factors influencing the delivery of quality healthcare in the Bombali District. Specifically, the research was conducted in Makeni, which is the largest city in the Bombali District (Northern Province) of Sierra Leone. The sample size for this study was 156 participants. Hence, a probability sampling technique was used for this study. Data for this study were analyzed into descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistical analysis was run at a 5% significance level using Stata v14.0 software. Our study findings highlight the significant burden of psychosocial disability in Bombali District, with over half of the respondents experiencing psychological distress. The unmet needs and barriers to service access underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to improve mental health care and social inclusion. These findings provide a foundation for policy development and further research to address the complex challenges faced by individuals with psychosocial disabilities in Sierra Leone.