Attitude of Parents to Childhood Psychiatric Disorders in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Many community and hospital based studies have found high prevalence of childhood psychiatric morbidity in the community and hospital. However, it has been noticed that few children are presented to hospital by parents with complaints related to psychological or emotional disturbances. This may be due to stigma and discrimination attached to mental illness including those of children. Aim: This part of the study set out to assess the attitudes of parents to childhood psychiatric disorders. It also set out to reveal what factors were associated with attitude and predictors of positive or negative attitude. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out where parents were interviewed and the sociodemographic features of the child, parents and family were elicited. The study was carried out at Murtala Muhammad Specialist, hospital, Kano, Nigeria within a three months period. The child was assessed for psychological disorder with the Reporting Questionnaire for children. Parent’s attitude was assessed with a modified community attitude towards the mentally ill scale, (CAMI). Result: A total of two hundred and three subjects (203) were involved in the study. Most (78.3%) parents had negative attitude to childhood psychiatric disorders while only (13.8%) had positive attitude. Parents who classified a child as having a psychological component to their illness were more likely to exhibit positive than negative attitude (83.3% vs. 16.7%, X2 = 22.75, d.f = 1, p = 0.0002). Those with positive attitude were more likely to be mothers than fathers (71.4% vs. 28.6%; X2 = 4.78, d.f = 1, p = 0.04). Those with a family history of psychiatric illness were more likely to exhibit positive than negative attitude. (58.3% vs 41.7%; X2 = 18.94, d.f = 1, p = 0.0003). A child’s father being of lower social class predicted positive attitude. No variable predicted negative attitude. Conclusion: Most parents had negative attitude to psychiatric disorders in children. The study advocated health education and enlightenment programmes to enhance mental health literacy for parents so that they could develop a more positive attitude to psychiatric disorders including childhood psychiatric disorders which will lead to reduction in childhood psychiatric disorders and later adversities.