Social distance towards people with mental illness in southwestern Nigeria
Social distance towards people with mental illness in southwestern Nigeria
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DOI：
10.1080/00048670801961115
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发表时间：
2008-05-01
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Makanjuola, Roger O. A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Adewuya, Ablodun O.;Makanjuola, Roger O. A.
目的：最近的研究结果质疑了早先的说法，即对精神病患者的污名化态度在非西方文化中不那么明显。在撒哈拉以南非洲开展积极的反污名化方案之前，需要有一个了解社区对精神病患者态度的知识库。本研究的目的是评估公众的态度（社会距离）对人的精神疾病在西南部尼日利亚和研究因素与这种态度。方法：进行了一项横断面调查，受访者（n = 2078）从尼日利亚西南部的三个不同社区选择完成问卷，详细说明社会人口变量，熟悉精神疾病，知觉的精神疾病的原因，知觉的精神疾病的个人属性和知觉的精神疾病的预后。他们对精神疾病患者的首选社交距离是用Bogardus社交距离量表的修改版来测量的。对精神病患者的期望社交距离水平随着关系中所需的亲密程度而增加，14.5%的参与者被归类为低社交距离，24.6%的人认为与精神病患者的社会距离适中，60.9%的人认为与精神病患者的社会距离较高。与精神病患者保持较高社会距离的独立相关因素包括从未照顾过精神病患者（比值比（OR）= 3.31，95%置信区间（CI）= 2.14-5.21），年龄> 50岁（OR = 1.93，95%CI = 1.5-9-2.33），自觉超自然因素与精神疾病的关系（OR = 1.82，95%CI = 1.51-2.18）和对精神病患者的“傲慢”刻板印象结论：在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，有证据表明精神疾病患者存在较高的社会距离和污名化程度。有必要将反污名化教育方案纳入撒哈拉以南非洲国家的精神卫生政策。有关政策应包括就精神病的成因、表现、治疗和预后进行社区教育。
Objective: Recent research findings have challenged earlier claims that stigmatizing attitudes towards the mentally ill are less evident in non-Western cultures. A knowledge base of the attitude of the community towards the mentally ill is needed before embarking on an active anti-stigma programme in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of the present study was to assess the lay public's attitude (social distance) towards people with mental illness in southwestern Nigeria and examine the factors correlating with such an attitude.Method: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in which respondents (n = 2078) selected from three different communities in southwestern Nigeria completed questionnaires detailing sociodemographic variables, familiarity with mental illness, perceived causation of mental illness, perceived personal attributes of mental illness and perceived prognosis of mental illness. Their preferred social distance towards people with mental illness was measured with a modified version of the Bogardus Social Distance Scale.Results: The level of desired social distance towards the mentally ill was seen to increase with the level of intimacy required in the relationship, with 14.5% of the participants categorized as having low social distance, 24.6% as having moderate social distance and 60.9% as having high social distance towards the mentally ill. The independent correlates of high social distance towards the mentally ill included having never cared for the mentally ill (odds ratio (OR) = 3.31, 95% confidence interval (Cl) = 2.14-5.21), age over 50 years (OR = 1.93, 95%CI = 1.5-9-2.33), perceived supernatural causation of mental illness (OR = 1.82, 95%CI = 1.51-2.18) and perceived 'dangerousness' stereotype of the mentally ill (OR = 1.54, 95%CI = 1.28-1.85).Conclusions: There is emerging evidence of a high level of social distance and stigmatization of mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa. There is need to incorporate anti-stigma educational programmes into the mental health policies of countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Such policy should include community education regarding the causation, manifestation, treatment and prognosis of mental illness.