Antonia Barke|Seth Nyarko|Dorothee Klecha
The stigma of mental illness in Southern Ghana: attitudes of the urban population and patients’ views
University of Göttingen|University of Freiburg|University of Bern
stigma frequent accompaniment mental illness leading number detrimental consequences research stigma connected mental illness conducted developed world far data exist countries subsaharan africa data published population attitudes towards mental illness ghana even less known stigma actually perceived mentally ill persons convenience sample 403 participants 210 men mean age 324 123 years urban regions accra cape coast pantang filled community attitudes towards mentally ill cami questionnaire addition 105 patients 75 men mean age 359 110 years ghanas three psychiatric hospitals accra psychiatry hospital ankaful hospital pantang hospital answered perceived stigma discrimination scale high levels stigma prevailed population shown high proportions assent items expressing authoritarian socially restrictive views coexisting agreement benevolent attitudes higher level education associated positive attitudes subscales authoritarianism social restrictiveness benevolence acceptance community based mental health services patients reported high degree experienced stigma secrecy concerning illness widespread coping strategy perceived stigma associated sex age extent stigmatising attitudes within urban population southern ghana line scant research countries subsaharan africa mirrored experienced stigma reported patients results seen context extreme scarcity resources within ghanaian psychiatric system antistigma efforts include interventions mentally ill persons exclusively focus public attitudes