Page 231 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

of mental issues compared with rural areas. Moreover, the literature provides

that mental disorders are more common in developing nations (Patel &
Kleinman, 2003).

When looking at Asia, the Asian population is expected to grow from 1.4
billion to 2.6 billion between 2000-2030, making the Asian population figure

double. As seen in the literature, such an increase in the Asian population may
impact mental disorders caused by social stressors, air and noise pollution, etc.

When looking at the levels of urbanisation and mental disorders in the SAARC

region, it is explicit that the prevalence of mental disorders among South Asian
nations is very high (Trivedi et al., 2008). As highlighted by David et al.

(2017), services integrated within primary care must be established for mental
health and psychosocial issues for the conflict-affected population in South

Asian countries. Owoeye and all (2011) demonstrate the lack of studies that
prioritise the relationship between mental illness and internal migration,

specifically internal urban-to-rural migration in a contextual background of

economic and political benefits. Therefore, considering the aforementioned
problem area and filling an empirical research gap, this study aims to examine

the impact of urbanisation on mental disorders in the SAARC countries.

3. Objective of the Study

The objective of this study is to examine and analyse how urbanisation impacts

mental disorders in the SAARC countries, with a particular emphasis on
understanding the socio-demographic, economic, and environmental factors
172