The stigma of mental illness in Southern Ghana
Attitudes of the urban population and patients’ views
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23329239 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Antonia Barke (0000-0002-6863-3213, University of Göttingen, corresponding author), Seth Nyarko (University of Freiburg), Dorothee Klecha (University of Bern) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 1191-1202 |
| Publication date | 2011-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0933-7954 • E-ISSN: 1433-9285 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s00127-010-0290-3 |
| PMID | 20872212 |
| PMCID | PMC3192946 |
| OpenAlex | W2066265131 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 57 |
| References cited | 35 |
PURPOSE: Stigma is a frequent accompaniment of mental illness leading to a number of detrimental consequences. Most research into the stigma connected to mental illness was conducted in the developed world. So far, few data exist on countries in sub-Saharan Africa and no data have been published on population attitudes towards mental illness in Ghana. Even less is known about the stigma actually perceived by the mentally ill persons themselves. METHOD: A convenience sample of 403 participants (210 men, mean age 32.4±12.3 years) from urban regions in Accra, Cape Coast and Pantang filled in the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI) questionnaire. In addition, 105 patients (75 men, mean age 35.9±11.0 years) of Ghana's three psychiatric hospitals (Accra Psychiatry Hospital, Ankaful Hospital, Pantang Hospital) answered the Perceived Stigma and Discrimination Scale. RESULTS: High levels of stigma prevailed in the population as shown by high proportions of assent to items expressing authoritarian and socially restrictive views, coexisting with agreement with more benevolent attitudes. A higher level of education was associated with more positive attitudes on all subscales (Authoritarianism, Social Restrictiveness, Benevolence and Acceptance of Community Based Mental Health Services). The patients reported a high degree of experienced stigma with secrecy concerning the illness as a widespread coping strategy. Perceived stigma was not associated with sex or age. DISCUSSION: The extent of stigmatising attitudes within the urban population of Southern Ghana is in line with the scant research in other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and mirrored by the experienced stigma reported by the patients. These results have to be seen in the context of the extreme scarcity of resources within the Ghanaian psychiatric system. Anti-stigma efforts should include interventions for mentally ill persons themselves and not exclusively focus on public attitudes.
Authoritarianism · Democracy · Environmental health · Family medicine · Mental health · Mental illness · Population · Psychiatry · Social stigma · Stigma (botany) · Clinical Psychology · Family Caregiving in Mental Illness · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Psychology · Schizophrenia research and treatment
Suicide in Central Asia
Media Portrayals of Religion, Prayer Camps and Persons with Mental Illness in Ghana
El Lienzo de Analco
Individual and neighborhood predictors of mental illness stigma in New York state
Predictors of neighbors’ attitudes toward persons with mental illness and therapeutic residential services in Brazil
Social Stigma Towards People with Mental Illness
Mentally III, Public Attitudes towards
Mental health-related stigma discrimination and prejudices among Greek healthcare professionals
Attitudes towards mental illness in Malawi
A nationwide evaluation study of the quality of care and respect of human rights in mental health facilities in Ghana
Outcome of capacity building in mental health for well-being volunteers
Evaluation of anti-stigma social marketing campaigns in Ghana and Kenya
Public Attitudes Toward Psychiatric Hospitals
Social Networks and Health
Evaluating the psychometric properties of three WHO instruments to assess knowledge about human rights, attitudes toward persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities, and practices related to substitute decision-making and coercion in mental health
Mental health stigma and professional help-seeking in Ghana
Coping with the stigma of mental illness
Substance use and suicide among men in Ghana
“I will pray about it”
Explanatory models of psychotic-like experiences in rural Burkina Faso
A Qualitative Analysis of the Intervention Experiences of Human Trafficking Survivors and At-risk Women in Ghana
Public perception of mental illness in Oman
Current practices in community treatment of the mentally ill in Ontario, Canada
Mental health literacy in Ghana
How community physical, structural, and social stressors relate to mental health in the urban slums of Accra, Ghana
Intimate Partner Femicide–Suicides in Ghana
Patricides and Step-Patricides in Ghana
From condemnation to understanding
Stigma, Discrimination, and Social Exclusion of the Mentally Ill
Insanity is from home”
Perceptions of Former Child Soldiers and LRA Victims With Posttraumatic Stress Among Health Professionals and Lay People in Northern Uganda
Gender-specific experiences of serious mental illness in rural Ethiopia
An exploratory study assessing psychological distress of indigents in Burkina Faso
Towards improving the utilisation of counselling centre services by Ghanaian university students
Preliminary impact of the say no to stigma intervention on attitudes toward mental illness
Awareness challenges of mental health disorder and dementia facing stigmatisation and discrimination
Attitudes towards mental health and the integration of mental health services into primary health care
“It’s only ‘madness’ that I know”
Beyond recognition
Embracing mental illness
Attitude of society towards people with mental illness
Attitude of the employer in Lebanon toward candidates and employees with a stable chronic mental illness
Perspectives of community members on homeless people with mental illness in Nsawam, Ghana
Stigma-related mental health knowledge and attitudes among primary health workers and community health volunteers in rural Kenya
Barriers to access to mental health services among Colombia outpatients
Representations of Mental Illness in a Ga Community in Southern Ghana
Being heard’
Predictors of Patient Stigma Perception Appraisal
Mental illness and stigma
Beliefs and Prejudices Versus Knowledge and Awareness
Attitudes of Primary Care Health Workers Towards Mental Health Patients
Impact of the Stigma of Mental Illness
Prayer Camps, Mental Health, and Human Rights Concerns in Ghana
Human Rights Violations and Mental Illness
Discrimination and Social Exclusion of People Experiencing Mental Disorders in Burkina Faso
Community leaders' attitudes towards and perceptions of suicide and suicide prevention in Ghana
Culturally prescribed beliefs about mental illness among the Akan of Ghana
Mental illness stigma
Perceived public stigma and the willingness to seek counseling
Stigma as a Barrier to Recovery
Scaling Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill
Mental health systems in countries
Community study of knowledge of and attitude to mental illness in Nigeria
Stigma as a Barrier to Recovery
Public beliefs about and attitudes towards people with mental illness
Mental illness and employment discrimination
Stakeholder perceptions of mental health stigma and poverty in Uganda
Beliefs and Community Responses to Mental Illness in Ghana
Family burden and family stigma in major mental illness
Family burden and family stigma in major mental illness
Cost recovery in Ghana
It also takes a village
Cultural response to mental illness in Senegal
A Modified Labeling Theory Approach to Mental Disorders
Labeling Mental Illness
Perceptions of Mental and Physical Illnesses in North-western Ethiopia
The Effectiveness of Stigma Coping Orientations
Conceptualizing Stigma
| Unique citing works | 57 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4,07 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2026 (15) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 51 |