Abstract
BackgroundMental illnesses are more common among the prison population than the general public. However, little attention is given to mental health service in low and middle income countries in general. The problem is more so for prisoners where the overall health care is poor. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and the associated factors among prisoners of North West Amhara, Ethiopia.MethodsInstitutional based cross-sectional study was employed from February to March 2015 by taking a sample of 700 prisoners. Simple random sampling method was employed to select three prisons out of 10 prisons found in the North West Amhara region. Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale was used to assess prisoners’ anxiety status. The receiver- operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the cutoff point with high sensitivity and specificity. Structured and pretested interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were checked, coded and entered into Epi Info version 7 and analyzed using R version 3.2.0. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out to identify factors associated with anxiety. Odds ratio with its 95 % confidence interval was used as a measure of association. Akaike’s Information’s Criterion (AIC) was used to check model fitness.ResultsA total of 649 prisoners were included in the analysis making the response rate 92.5 %. The prevalence of Anxiety was found to be 36.1 % (95 % CI: 32.7, 39.9). The odds of Anxiety was 2.49(95 % CI: 1.38, 4.55) times higher among prisoners who used to be unhappy in their life before imprisonment. Moreover, smokers were 2.6 (AOR = 2.6, 95 % CI: 1.08, 6.6) times more likely to have anxiety compared with non smokers. However, the odds of the odds of anxiety was 89% lower among Debre-Tabor prisoners (AOR = 0.11, 95 % CI: 0.06, 0.20) and 57 % lower among Gondar prisoners (AOR = 0.43, 95 % CI: 0.28, 0.67).ConclusionThe prevalence of anxiety is found to be very high among prisoners in North West Ethiopia. Anxiety was associated with current smoking and having had a dissatisfying life. Screening prisoners for common mental disorders and integrated health care is necessary.
Highlights
Mental illnesses are more common among the prison population than the general public
Socio-demographic characteristics of the prisoners Six hundred forty-nine prisoners were included in the study with a response rate of 92.7 %
Smokers were 2.6 [AOR = 2.6, 95 % CI: 1.08 - 6.6] times more likely to have anxiety compared with non smokers
Summary
Mental illnesses are more common among the prison population than the general public. An estimated 10 million people live in prison worldwide to date with the majority of the prison population living in low and middle income countries. About 450 million people suffer from mental or behavioral disorders globally [2]. These disorders are especially prevalent in prison populations [3]. About one in nine prisoners worldwide suffers from common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety [4]. In European prisons, the prevalence of psychotic disorders is around 5 %, of depressive or anxiety disorders is around 25 %, and of substance-related disorders is approximately 40 % [6].
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