Does Religiosity Influence Attitude to Mental Illness? and #8211; A survey of Medical students in a Nigerian University.

Abstract

Background: The benefits of religiosity in mental health has been documented in extant literature. However the relationship between religiosity and medical students' attitude to mental illness has not been explored by previous studies. This study aimed to determine the relationship between religiosity and the attitude of medical students in a Nigerian university to mental illness. Methods: Fifth year medical students completed a sociodemographic and career choice questionnaire, Duke University religiosity index (DUREL) and Mental Illness: Clinician Attitude (MICA, medical student version) questionnaires. Results: Fifty four consenting medical students (male=36, female=18) completed the questionnaires. The frequency of religious service attendance (organized religious activity) had a significant negative correlation with the students' attitude to mental illness (p= 0.021). Female medical students had significantly lower MICA scores, indicating a less stigmatizing attitude to mental illness compared to male students (p= 0.035). Conclusions: This study suggests that frequency of religious service attendance is an important variable to consider among factors influencing medical students' attitude to mental illness. Findings from this study may be used by future interventions targeted at reducing stigma to mental illness among medical students.

Perceptions, attitudes and cultural understandings of mental health in Nigeria: a scoping review of published literature

“…Positive attitudes were prevalent among the clergy towards people with mental disorders in Nigeria (Iheanacho et al, 2016(Iheanacho et al, , 2018. Adelufosi, Abayomi, Oyewole, & Ayankola, (2013) also explained that social contact between frequent attendees in religious activities with people who have mental disorders, may promote some element of compassion and sympathy, resulting in some positive attitudes towards mental disorders. This is possibly because religion promotes compassion for individuals with health problems.…”

“…Traditional healers sometimes called 'witch doctors' have always been of interest to medical doctors and other allied professionals in Nigeria, even though studies have shown that medical professionals exhibit negative attitudes towards traditional medicine (Adelufosi et al, 2013;Offlong, 1999). However, many studies have indicated that native and spiritual healers could be used as effective agents in mental health in Nigeria (Adelekan et al, 2001;Agara et al, 2008;Iheanacho et al, 2016Iheanacho et al, , 2018.…”

“…This should be included in the mental health policy, to ensure that these practitioners can practice without fear of objection from government or medical practitioners. Traditional healers constantly have the fear of losing their licences to government, hence the reluctance to collaborate (Adelufosi et al, 2013;Offlong, 1999). Offlong (1999) suggests that regardless of the government policy on mental health, both traditional and medical practice complement each other as Nigerians patronize both.…”