Background: The National Center for Mental Health Promotion (NCMHP) introduced a new hotline in 2013. The center receives a variety of psychological consultations through the number 920033360, which experienced mental health professionals answer. The present study aims at assessing the knowledge about the NCMHP hotline among the adult population in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This cross-sectional study design was conducted among the Saudi adult population from August 2021 to September 2021. A pre-validated questionnaire was distributed among the study population using an online platform. The questionnaire included a set of questions about the participant's socio-demographic characteristics, previous history of mental illness, family history of mental illness, and an assessment of their knowledge regarding the NCMHP. Data were tabulated in Google forms, and all statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.
Results: 2,910 respondents replied to the questionnaire (49.2% male to 50.8% female). A previous history of mental illness was found among 13.1% and 23.2% of the respondents, respectively. The most common participating age group was 18-30 years old. Of the respondents, 18.7% were aware of the NCMHP hotline service. In univariate analysis, the region of residence and previous and family history of mental illness were the main factors associated with participants' knowledge about the NCMHP hotline service. In multivariate estimates, previous and family history of mental illness was determined as the significant independent predictors of the NCMHP hotline service knowledge.
Conclusion: The Saudi population had limited knowledge about the NCMHP hotline service. Better knowledge was demonstrated by those with previous or family histories of mental illness.
Key words: Mental health promotion, Saudi Arabia, mental health, mental illness, hotline
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