Mojiminiyi Iyanuoluwa O, Balogun Mobolanle R, Ogunnowo Babatunde E
Department of Community Health and Primary Care, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Malawi Med J. 2020 Jun;32(2):87-94. doi: 10.4314/mmj.v32i2.6.
Mental disorders are one of the most ignored public health issues worldwide. However, the burden associated with mental disorders is ever increasing and poses a major threat to health, social interactions and the economy of both developed and developing countries.
To assess the knowledge of adults residing in an urban local government area in Lagos, south-west Nigeria, with regards to mental health and investigate their attitudes towards this condition.
This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 242 adults who were subsequently interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Data was collected and analysed using Epi Info statistical software version 7. Associations between socio-demographic variables and the knowledge and attitudes of subjects with regards to mental disorders were assessed using chi-square tests at a significance level of 0.05.
Almost all respondents (95.5%) in this study were aware of mental disorders while 31.0% were related to someone with a mental disorder. Approximately half of the respondents (51.2%) had poor knowledge of mental disorders while the majority (90.0%) had positive attitudes. There was a significant and positive association between having a relative with a mental disorder and the level of knowledge (P=0.010).
Analyses identified knowledge gaps in the community in terms of mental disorders in the community. We recommend that health workers should develop ways to educate the community with regards to the causes, symptoms, effects and treatment options for mental disorders.
精神障碍是全球范围内最被忽视的公共卫生问题之一。然而，与精神障碍相关的负担不断增加，对发达国家和发展中国家的健康、社会交往及经济构成重大威胁。
评估居住在尼日利亚西南部拉各斯一个城市地方政府辖区的成年人对心理健康的了解，并调查他们对这种疾病的态度。
这是一项描述性横断面研究。采用多阶段抽样选取242名成年人，随后用结构化问卷对他们进行访谈。使用Epi Info统计软件7版收集和分析数据。使用卡方检验评估社会人口统计学变量与受试者对精神障碍的知识和态度之间的关联，显著性水平为0.05。
本研究中几乎所有受访者（95.5%）都知晓精神障碍，31.0%的人与患有精神障碍的人有关系。约一半受访者（51.2%）对精神障碍了解不足，而大多数（90.0%）态度积极。有精神障碍亲属与知识水平之间存在显著正相关（P = 0.010）。
分析发现社区在精神障碍方面存在知识差距。我们建议卫生工作者应制定方法，就精神障碍的病因、症状、影响和治疗选择对社区进行教育。
