Public perception attitude and awareness toward mental illness in Palestine

A cross-sectional survey of 1,360 Palestinians in the West Bank found that most participants had good perceptions of people with mental illness and positive attitudes toward them, while attitudes toward care and treatment were mostly negative. The study, published in BMC Public Health , also identified limited awareness of possible causes of mental illness. Across 8,160 item responses, 48.8% endorsed an awareness or etiology item, corresponding to 3,978 responses and a 95% confidence interval of 47.7% to 49.8%.

The mean awareness score was 2.93 out of six, with a standard deviation of 1.47 and a 95% confidence interval of 2.85 to 3.00. Researchers collected the data between October and November 2025 using an online, self-administered questionnaire adapted from a similar study conducted in Iraq. The questionnaire was distributed in public places and through social media platforms, and participants were recruited through convenience sampling.

This approach produced a large sample, but the investigators cautioned that the findings should not be considered nationally representative. The cross-sectional design measured perceptions, attitudes and awareness at one point in time and cannot establish the reasons for the reported patterns or whether earlier experiences produced them. Measurements of attitudes toward people with mental illness were favorable.

A total of 1,147 participants, or 84.3% of the sample, were classified as having good perceptions of people with mental illness; the reported 95% confidence interval was 82.3% to 86.2%. Similarly, 1,091 participants, representing 80.2% of the sample, were classified as having positive attitudes toward people with mental illness, with a 95% confidence interval of 78.0% to 82.3%. The pattern for care and treatment differed from the responses about people with mental illness.

After the relevant questionnaire responses were evaluated, 903 participants, or 66.4% of the sample, were classified as having negative attitudes toward care and treatment. The reported 95% confidence interval was 63.8% to 68.9%. The descriptive contrast is important: favorable classifications toward people with mental illness occurred alongside a predominantly negative classification concerning care and treatment.

Taken together, the results indicate that a single summary of public sentiment would miss distinct dimensions of the survey. Most participants were classified positively on questions concerning people with mental illness, yet awareness of possible causes was limited, with a mean score of 2.93 out of six, and two-thirds were classified negatively on care and treatment. The findings provide descriptive evidence from a large convenience sample rather than a national estimate of Palestinian public opinion.

Their interpretation is constrained by convenience recruitment, online and public-place distribution, and the cross-sectional design, although the study provides a detailed account of item-level awareness, confidence intervals, perceptions and attitudes within the sample analyzed.

Subject of Research: Public awareness, perceptions and treatment attitudes toward mental illness among Palestinians in the West Bank

Article Title: Public perception attitude and awareness toward mental illness in Palestine

Article References: Salman, S., Bsharat, R., Abed, A., Karajeh, B., Khalaileh, M., Bhais, B., & Hanani, A. (2026). Public perception attitude and awareness toward mental illness in Palestine. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-28572-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-28572-x

Keywords: mental health awareness, public attitudes, mental illness, West Bank, Palestine, care and treatment, cross-sectional survey, public health, social media survey, convenience sample, Public, perception