| Abstract [eng] |
Mental health is one of the most important components of social well-being, but its monitoring in Lithuania is still not sufficiently developed and systematic. The novelty of this work is revealed by exploring the insights of professionals on the used and missing indicators of mental health monitoring, identifying the main gaps in the system, and proposing measures to improve monitoring. Aim of the study: To assess the public mental health monitoring system in Lithuania based on the insights of health professionals on the indicators used, the challenges encountered during monitoring and possible directions for improvement. Objectives: 1. To identify the main mental health monitoring indicators used in Lithuania 2. to analyse the insights of professionals on the challenges of public mental health monitoring 3. To identify additional mental health monitoring indicators that, in the opinion of professionals, could improve the assessment of public mental health in Lithuania Research methods: The study was carried out using a quantitative research methodology. The main method of data collection was a questionnaire survey, which allowed the collection of structured data. The survey sample was selected using purposive sampling. The main selection criteria were: mental health policy makers and implementers working in state and municipal institutions; professionals working in public health offices, mental health centres and other health care institutions; and professionals whose job functions include mental health monitoring or service provision. Invitations to participate in the survey were sent to all eligible persons, but the final number of respondents was 106. Descriptive statistical methods and the Chi-square criterion were used for statistical analysis of the data. The data were processed using SPSS 27 software. Results and conclusions: The study found that mental health monitoring in Lithuania is mostly based on morbidity and mortality (especially suicide) indicators. However, there is very limited data collection on subjective well-being, emotional state or social context. Experts have highlighted that one of the main problems in public mental health monitoring is the lack of focus on monitoring long-term mental health problems. Respondents also identified specific monitoring tools that they believe are worth using in practice: the K10 distress scale, the MBI burnout scale, the RSCA resilience scale, the MoCA, the CAMM, and other measures of emotional well-being or resilience. |
