Public Attitude Towards Psychiatrists: A Comparison between two Metropolitan Cities in Nigeria (Birnin-Kebbi and Sokoto)

Abstract:

Background: Many psychiatric patients in need of mental health care have no access to psychiatric care in low and middle-income countries due to negative attitude toward psychiatrist. Public attitudes towards psychiatrists have not been adequately studied in most developing countries like Nigeria, where lack of psychiatrists is well-known. Our study aimed to explore attitudes towards psychiatrists in the general population in two Nigerian metropolitan cities (Birnin-Kebbi and Sokoto) and to identify factors that could influence these attitudes. Methods: Explorative surveys in the context of public attitudes towards psychiatrists were conducted in a convenience sample from the general population in Birnin-Kebbi (n=187) and Sokoto (n=195). Sampling was balanced for age, gender and school education. Results: We found more negative attitudes towards psychiatrists in Birnin-Kebbi relative to Sokoto (p < 0.05) when comparing the two samples using multivariate analysis. Negative attitudes in both cities are associated with lower levels of education (p<0.05) and stronger religious beliefs (p<0.05). Conclusion: Two major metropolitan cities in Nigeria varied widely in attitudes toward psychiatrist. According to previous research, negative attitude is associated with lower education rates and stronger religious beliefs in both cities. Future research in a diverse country like Nigeria that identifies finer cultural and social factors that play a significant role in attitudes towards psychiatrists.