Mental illness stigmatization factors: Survey among caregivers in Mahajanga Madagascar

Abstract

Introduction: Psychiatric patients' stigmatization is a major public health problem. The objective of this survey is to determine the factors reinforcing the stigmatizing behaviors of nursing staff towards psychiatric patients. Methods: This study is descriptive, cross-sectional and prospective analytic conducted in the Emergency Departments of the both Mahajanga University Hospitals and the CSB of the District of Mahajanga I from November to December 2021. Results: Toxic causes of mental illness were the most mentioned by caregivers (91.4%) followed by environmental causes (74.29%), neurobiological and genetic causes (74.29%) and supernatural causes (17.1%). Thirty-four point three percent of staff believed that mental disorders are not curable. In 73.08% of cases, the staff referred the patient directly. In our study, both groups of staff had high social distance scores with averages of 22.58 for physicians and 23.15 for nurses. High scores were found in 87.5% of cases for physicians and in 89.1% of cases for nurses. There was an association between social distancing and the following stereotypes as perceived by staff: craziness (p=0.002), dangerousness (p=0.031). The decision to treat or refer patients depends mostly on the acquisition of additional Training in Psychiatry (p=0.000). The Training improved skills to take care of the patients. Conclusion: Anti-stigma actions must be carried out in Mahajanga, particularly among healthcare staff, to improve the quality of life of patients.