Role of traditional beliefs in the knowledge and perceptions of mental health and illness amongst rural-dwelling women in western Nigeria

• Published in: African journal of primary health care & family medicine 2022, Vol.14 (1), p.e1-e8
• Main Authors: Okafor, Ifeoma P., Oyewale, Damilola V., Ohazurike, Chidumga, Ogunyemi, Adedoyin O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Attitudes; Biology; Data collection; Disability; Health Care Sciences & Services; Knowledge; Local government; Medical personnel; Medicine, General & Internal; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental illness; Mentally ill; Nigeria; Original Research; Population; Psychological aspects; Public health; Questionnaires; Rural; Rural areas; Sample size; Stigma; Women; Womens health
• ISSN: 2071-2928; 2071-2936; 2071-2936
• DOI: 10.4102/phcfm.v14i1.3547

Background Globally, the public health importance of mental health has gained significant attention in recent years. In Africa, many traditional belief systems impact the perceptions, attitude and management of mental illness. Women are usually the primary caregivers of mentally ill persons, but they have lower mental health literacy.Aim To assess rural women’s knowledge, perceptions and attitudes regarding mental illnesses and the role of traditional beliefs in their management.Setting Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria.Methods This was a cross-sectional study with a total of 295 rural women recruited through a multistage sampling method. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Summary and inferential statistics were measured using Epi Info version 7. The level of significance was predetermined at 5%.Results A total of 253 questionnaires were adequately filled and analysed. Overall, just over one-third (35%) of respondents had good knowledge and only 26% had positive attitudes towards mental health and illness. About 45% reported that mental illness should first be treated in ‘the traditional way’, whilst 47% felt that there was no need for collaboration between orthodox and unorthodox healthcare for mental illness. Sociodemographic variables were significantly associated with knowledge (educational level p = 0.001) and attitude (marital status p = 0.001 and ethnicity p = 0.001).Conclusion Respondents had poor knowledge of and attitude towards mental health, and traditional beliefs played a role in their perception and management of mental illness. We recommend community-based health education programmes to improve knowledge and help-seeking for mental illness amongst rural women.