Introduction
Stigma
Psychiatric care in Ghana
Attitudes towards mental illness in sub-Saharan Africa
Attitude towards mental illness in Ghana
Patients’ views
Method
Participants
Population
Patients
Measures
Statistical methods
Population sample
Patient sample
Results
Population
Item | Strongly agree/agree (%) | Neutral (%) | Disagree/strongly disagree (%) | Mean | SD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Authoritarianism (AU)
| 2.50 | 0.49 | |||
One of the main causes of mental illness is a lack of self-discipline and will power (AU1) | 61.15 | 11.78 | 27.07 | 2.42 | 1.42 |
The best way to handle the mentally ill is to keep them behind locked doors (AU2) | 47.76 | 14.93 | 37.32 | 2.81 | 1.41 |
There is something about the mentally ill that makes it easy to tell them from normal people (AU3) | 79.70 | 14.29 | 6.01 | 1.87 | 0.9 |
A soon as a person shows signs of mental disturbance, he should be hospitalized (AU4) | 79.25 | 11.75 | 9.00 | 1.79 | 1.06 |
Mental patients need the same kind of control and discipline as a young child (AU5) | 68.25 | 17.00 | 14.75 | 2.17 | 1.18 |
Mental illness is an illness like any other (AU6) | 31.17 | 11.72 | 57.10 | 3.45 | 1.4 |
Less emphasis should be placed on protecting the public from the mentally ill (AU8) | 23.61 | 19.29 | 57.11 | 3.48 | 1.27 |
Mental hospitals are an outdated means of treating the mentally ill (AU9) | 32.66 | 16.07 | 51.27 | 3.26 | 1.38 |
Virtually anyone can become mentally ill (AU10) | 60.90 | 10.28 | 28.82 | 2.48 | 1.49 |
Benevolence (BE)
| 2.50 | 0.68 | |||
The mentally ill have for too long been the subject of ridicule (BE1) | 50.38 | 27.25 | 22.36 | 2.65 | 1.13 |
More tax money should be spent on the care and treatment of the mentally ill (BE2) | 63.29 | 15.95 | 20.76 | 2.34 | 1.24 |
We need to adopt a far more tolerant attitude towards the mentally ill in our society (BE3) | 66.92 | 13.53 | 19.55 | 2.29 | 1.21 |
Our mental hospitals seem more like prisons than like places where the mentally ill can be cared for (BE4) | 54.75 | 23.00 | 22.25 | 2.47 | 1.24 |
We have a responsibility to provide the best possible care for the mentally ill (BE5) | 80.34 | 8.96 | 10.69 | 1.91 | 1.06 |
The mentally ill don’t deserve our sympathy (BE6) | 20.60 | 7.04 | 72.36 | 3.85 | 1.36 |
The mentally ill are a burden on society (BE7) | 56.27 | 19.44 | 24.29 | 2.5 | 1.29 |
Increased spending on mental health services is a waste of tax Cedis (BE8) | 22.86 | 13.32 | 63.82 | 3.62 | 1.33 |
It is best to avoid anyone who has mental problems (BE10) | 25.37 | 10.20 | 64.43 | 3.57 | 1.44 |
Social Restrictiveness (SR)
| 3.15 | 0.70 | |||
The mentally ill should not be given any responsibility (SR1) | 41.60 | 18.80 | 39.60 | 2.92 | 1.39 |
The mentally ill should be isolated from the rest of the community (SR2) | 42.14 | 19.45 | 38.40 | 2.94 | 1.35 |
A woman would be foolish to marry a man who has suffered from mental illness, even though he seems fully recovered (SR3) | 27.56 | 15.05 | 57.40 | 3.43 | 1.4 |
I would not want to live next door to someone who has been mentally ill (SR4) | 38.13 | 22.22 | 39.65 | 2.97 | 1.29 |
Anyone with a history of mental problems should be excluded from taking public office (SR5) | 34.73 | 13.84 | 51.43 | 3.15 | 1.4 |
The mentally ill should not be denied their individual rights (SR6) | 58.30 | 16.33 | 25.37 | 2.53 | 1.25 |
Mental patients should be encouraged to assume the responsibilities of normal life (SR7) | 62.72 | 17.63 | 19.65 | 2.34 | 1.18 |
No one has the right to exclude the mentally ill from their neighbourhood (SR8) | 54.59 | 18.62 | 26.78 | 2.6 | 1.25 |
The mentally ill are far less a danger than most people suppose (SR9) | 32.73 | 29.41 | 37.85 | 3.12 | 1.16 |
Most women who were once patients in a mental hospital can be trusted as babysitters (SR10) | 32.82 | 18.18 | 48.99 | 3.29 | 1.32 |
Community Mental Health Ideology (CMHI)
| 2.90 | 0.67 | |||
Residents should accept the location of mental health facilities in their neighbourhood (CMHI1) | 65.76 | 13.15 | 21.09 | 2.36 | 1.22 |
The best therapy for many mental patients is to be part of a normal community (CMHI2) | 47.88 | 21.45 | 30.67 | 2.78 | 1.23 |
As far as possible, mental health services should be provided through community based facilities (CMHI3) | 45.87 | 30.33 | 23.81 | 2.7 | 1.12 |
Locating mental health services in residential neighbourhoods does not endanger local residents (CMHI4) | 44.88 | 21.95 | 33.17 | 2.85 | 1.25 |
Residents have nothing to fear from people coming into their neighbourhood to obtain mental health services (CMHI5) | 53.75 | 26.25 | 20.00 | 2.54 | 1.09 |
Mental health facilities should be kept out of residential neighbourhoods (CMHI6) | 39.80 | 17.88 | 42.32 | 2.95 | 1.31 |
Local residents have good reason to resist the location of mental health services in their neighbourhood (CMHI7) | 34.11 | 24.29 | 41.60 | 2.99 | 1.1 |
Having mental patients live within residential neighbourhoods might be good therapy but the risks for the residents are too great (CMHI8) | 54.75 | 25.75 | 19.50 | 2.47 | 1.18 |
It is frightening to think of people with mental problems living in residential neighbourhoods (CMHI9) | 50.62 | 24.81 | 24.56 | 2.61 | 1.17 |
Locating mental health facilities in a residential area downgrades the neighbourhood (CMHI10) | 36.50 | 15.75 | 47.75 | 3.07 | 1.43 |
Sex and age
Education
Patients
Item | Agree (%) |
N
|
---|---|---|
Perceived discrimination and devaluationa
| 66.11 | 105 |
Most people would accept a former mental patient as a close friend (PDD1) | 41.90 | 105 |
Most people believe that a person who has been in a mental hospital is just as intelligent as the average person (PDD2) | 29.52 | 105 |
Most people believe that a former mental patient is just as trustworthy as the average citizen (PDD3) | 34.29 | 105 |
Most people would accept a former mental patient as a teacher of young children in a public school (PDD4) | 58.65 | 104 |
Most people believe that entering a mental hospital is a sign of personal failure (PDD5) | 53.85 | 104 |
Most people would not hire a former mental patient to take care of their children, even if he or she had been well for some time (PDD6) | 78.85 | 104 |
Most people think less of a person who has been in a mental hospital (PDD7) | 79.05 | 105 |
Most employers will hire a former mental patient if he or she is qualified for the job (PDD8) | 48.08 | 104 |
Most employers will pass over the application of a former mental patient in favour of another applicant (PDD9) | 77.23 | 101 |
Most people in my community would treat a former mental patient just as they would treat anyone (PDD10) | 47.62 | 105 |
Most young women would be reluctant to date a man who has been hospitalized for serious mental disorder (PDD11) | 80.00 | 105 |
Once they know a person was in a mental hospital, most people will take his or her opinion less seriously (PDD12) | 85.71 | 105 |
Secrecyb
| 71.74 | 105 |
If you had a closer relative who had been treated for a serious mental illness, you would advise him or her not to tell anyone about it (SE1) | 75.00 | 104 |
If you were in treatment for a serious mental illness you would worry about certain people finding out about your treatment (SE2) | 74.29 | 105 |
If you have ever been treated for a serious mental illness, the best thing to do is to keep it a secret (SE3) | 75.96 | 104 |
There is no reason for a person to hide the fact that he or she was a mental patient at one time (SE4) | 45.63 | 103 |
In view of society’s negative attitudes toward people with serious mental illnesses, you would advise people with serious mental illness to keep it a secret (SE5) | 65.05 | 103 |
In order to get a job a former mental patient will have to hide his or her history of hospitalization (SE6) | 75.00 | 104 |
You encourage other members of your family to keep your mental illness a secret (SE7) | 80.26 | 76 |
You believe that a person who has recovered from a mental illness experienced earlier in life should not tell other people about it (SE8) | 70.48 | 105 |
When you meet people for the first time, you make a special effort to keep the fact that you have been in psychiatric treatment to yourself (SE9) | 78.85 | 104 |
Withdrawalc
| 51.80 | 105 |
If you thought that someone you knew held negative opinions about psychiatric patients, you would avoid him or her (WI1) | 60.00 | 105 |
Places of work should be organized so that people who have experienced a severe mental illness can work together (WI2) | 70.48 | 105 |
It is easier for you to be friendly with people who have been psychiatric patients (WI3) | 41.90 | 105 |
If a person thought less of you because you had been in psychiatric treatment, you would avoid him or her (WI4) | 68.93 | 103 |
People who have had a serious mental illness will find it less stressful to socialize with people who have also had a serious mental illness (WI5) | 43.27 | 104 |
If a friend of yours developed a serious mental illness you would advise him or her to spend most of his or her free time with people who also have a serious mental illness (WI6) | 40.38 | 104 |
You believe that people who have a serious mental illness feel most comfortable when they are with people who also have a serious mental illness (WI7) | 49.02 | 102 |
You have a lot in common with people who have experienced a serious mental illness (WI8) | 40.78 | 103 |