Determinants of household access to emotional and psychological support services in Uganda

Abstract

Emotional and psychological support services are critical for maintaining mental well-being, fostering resilience, and enhancing quality of life. However, access to these services remains limited in many low- and middle-income countries, particularly at the household level. This study aimed to examine the determinants of household access to emotional and psychological support services using data from the 2016–2017 Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA). In this, study analyzed, a final sample of 1,287 respondents drawn from the UPHIA dataset was analysed. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and assess the prevalence of household access to emotional and psychological support services. Chi-square tests were conducted to determine bivariate associations between selected background characteristics and access to support services. Binary logistic regression was employed to identify significant predictors of access to emotional and psychological support services at the multivariate level. The findings revealed that household access to emotional and psychological support services in Uganda is very low, with only 5.5% of households reporting having received such services in the past 12 months. Multivariate analysis showed that region of residence and gender were statistically significant predictors of access. Households located in Northern Uganda were significantly more likely to receive emotional or psychological support compared to those in the Central region (OR = 19.20; 95% CI: 1.85–199.3; p = 0.013), possibly due to post-conflict interventions targeting the region. Female respondents were significantly less likely to report household access to emotional support services than male respondents (OR = 0.08; 95% CI: 0.01–0.93; p = 0.044), indicating gender-based disparities in access. The study concluded that access to emotional and psychological support services at the household level in Uganda remains critically low and unevenly distributed across regions and genders. These findings underscore the need for targeted public health policies that address regional inequities and promote gender-sensitive approaches to mental health service provision.