Non-mental health workers' attitudes and social distance towards people with mental illness in a Nigerian teaching hospital

• Main Authors: Olatunji F. Aina (Author), O. Yewande Oshodi (Author), Adebayo R. Erinfolami (Author), Joseph D. Adeyemi (Author), Tajudeen. F Suleiman (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Health and Social Sciences Research Institute - South Sudan (HSSRI-SS), 2015-08-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2309-4605; 2309-4613
• Keywords: Medicine; R; Public aspects of medicine; RA1-1270
• Source: South Sudan Medical Journal, Vol 8, Iss 3, Pp 57-59 (2015)

Background: Studies on attitudes towards mental health in Nigeria have been mainly community-based surveys. Objective: To determine the knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness (MI) of health workers in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital. Methods: A stratified sample of 256 health workers completed an Attitude to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) designed for this study. Results: Most participants (62.1% to 80.9%) identified scientific factors such as genetic inheritance as causes of MI; 24.8% identified spiritual factors as potential causes. Effective methods of treatment identified by respondents include orthodox methods (84.6%) and a combination of traditional and orthodox management (37.8%). There were varying shades of negative attitudes towards mentally ill persons (MIPs). Conclusion: The health workers showed some degree of social distance to MIPs, and there is need for psycho-education to improve their knowledge in mental health.