Oduguwa Adeola Oluwafunmilayo, Adedokun Babatunde, Omigbodun Olayinka Olusola
Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2017 Apr 7;11:19. doi: 10.1186/s13034-017-0157-4. eCollection 2017.
Stigmatizing attitudes and discriminatory behaviour towards persons with mental illness are known to start in childhood. In Nigeria, it is not unusual to see children taunting persons with mental illness. This behaviour continues into adulthood as evidenced by the day-to-day occurrences in the community of negative attitudes and social distance from persons with mental illness. School-based interventions for pupils have been found to increase knowledge about mental illness. Children are recognised as potential agents of change bringing in new ways of thinking. This study determined the effect of a 3-day mental health training for school pupils in Southwest Nigeria, on the perceptions of and social distance towards persons with mental illness.
A total of 205 school pupils drawn from two administrative wards were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The mean age of the pupils was 14.91 years (±1.3). The pupils in the intervention group received a 5-h mental health training session spaced out over 3-days. Apart from didactic lectures, case history presentations and discussions and role-play were part the training. Outcome measures were rated using a knowledge, attitude and social distance questionnaire at baseline, immediately following the training for both group and 3-week post intervention for the intervention group. A Student Evaluation Form was administered to evaluate the pupils' assessment of the training programme. Frequencies, Chi square statistics, paired test were used to analyse the data received.
At immediate post-intervention, the intervention group had a significantly higher mean knowledge score compared to controls, 21.1 vs. 22.0; p = 0.097 to 26.1 vs 22.0; p < 0.01. Respondents in the intervention group had a higher mean attitude score of 5.8 compared to 5.6 in the control group although this was not statistically significant (p < 0.627). Comparisons within the intervention group from baseline to immediate post-intervention showed a significant increase in mean knowledge and attitude scores of respondents, 21.0-26.2: p < 0.001 and 4.8-5.8; p = 0.004 respectively. This change was sustained at 3 weeks post intervention. The majority (98.8%) noted that the training was useful to them.
Multiple contacts and mixed-method training sessions produced a positive and sustained change in knowledge of and attitude towards persons with mental illness in school pupils in Nigeria.
对患有精神疾病的人的污名化态度和歧视行为在儿童时期就已出现。在尼日利亚，看到儿童嘲笑患有精神疾病的人并不罕见。这种行为会持续到成年，社区中对患有精神疾病的人的消极态度和社会距离就是明证。已发现针对学生的校内干预措施可增加对精神疾病的了解。儿童被视为带来新思维方式的潜在变革推动者。本研究确定了在尼日利亚西南部对学生进行为期3天的心理健康培训，对其对患有精神疾病的人的认知和社会距离的影响。
从两个行政区随机抽取205名学生，分为对照组和实验组。学生的平均年龄为14.91岁（±1.3）。干预组的学生参加了为期3天、每次5小时的心理健康培训课程。培训内容除了有说教式讲座外，还包括病史介绍、讨论和角色扮演。在基线、两组培训结束后即刻以及干预组干预后3周，使用知识、态度和社会距离问卷对结果指标进行评分。使用学生评价表来评估学生对培训课程的评价。对所收集的数据采用频率分析、卡方统计和配对检验进行分析。
在干预结束后即刻，干预组的平均知识得分显著高于对照组，分别为21.1对22.0；p = 0.097至26.1对22.0；p < 0.01。干预组受访者的平均态度得分为5.8，高于对照组的5.6，不过这一差异无统计学意义（p < 0.627）。干预组内从基线到干预结束后即刻的比较显示，受访者的平均知识和态度得分显著提高，分别为21.0 - 26.2：p < 0.001和4.8 - 5.8；p = 0.004。这种变化在干预后3周得以持续。大多数（98.8%）人指出培训对他们有用。
多次接触和采用混合方法的培训课程使尼日利亚学生对患有精神疾病的人的知识和态度产生了积极且持续的变化。
