Depression Among Immigrant Nigerians in Canada.

Immigrant status, especially a few years post arrival, is a major risk factor for depression in populations that have been adequately studied. While information on depression among Asian migrants, including those from India, China and Philippines, in Canada have been reported in previous studies, there is inadequate information about depression among Nigerian immigrants who make up the largest percentage of African migrants and black population residing in Canada. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 187 Nigerian immigrants in Canada. Participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out using IBM SPPS. About half (51.7%, n = 91) of the participants screened positive to the PHQ-9. Being female, unmarried, not being at all satisfied with the decision to migrate, and having stayed for more than 10 years in Canada significantly increased the risk of screening positive to depression. More than half of the participants screened positive for depression, suggesting an important mental health concern and the potential need for intervention. This population differed from other immigrant populations from previous studies because the absence of social support, satisfaction with employment status, and perceived discrimination did not significantly predict a positive screen for depression in this study.

Comparison of pharmacists' mental health literacy: Developed versus developing countries.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the mental health literacy (MHL) of pharmacists in Nigeria and their comfort rendering pharmacy services to patients with mental illness with that of pharmacists in developed countries. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design was employed. Questionnaires containing closed, ordinal, Likert-type, and multi-choice questions were used to elicit information from the respondents. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Pharmacists from all areas of practice attending the 91st Annual Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria from October 29 to November 3, 2018, were conveniently sampled. OUTCOME MEASURES: Pharmacists' MHL, stigma, desired social distance, and comfort rendering pharmacy services were compared with relevant literature from developed countries. RESULTS: Of the approximately 360 pharmacists who received the survey, 117 responded (32.5%). Although less than half (45.3%, n = 48) of the pharmacists reported that antidepressants were beneficial in treating depressive symptoms, almost all of them (96.2%, n = 102) rated antipsychotics to be helpful for schizophrenia. The desired social distance was higher in schizophrenia than in depression (P = 0.001). More than half (57.1%, n = 61) of the pharmacists surveyed believed that violence was more likely among persons with a mental illness. The respondents reported a higher level of comfort giving medication advice to patients with cardiovascular disease than to those with mental illness (P < 0.001). Approximately one-third (34.0%, n = 36) of the pharmacists agreed that they had sufficient training in the identification and management of mental illness. Literature from developed countries showed high levels of MHL among pharmacists in terms of knowledge but relatively high levels of stigma, desired social distance, and discomfort rendering pharmaceutical care to patients with mental illness. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate some knowledge gaps and misconceptions among Nigerian pharmacists regarding mental illness. The stigma and desired social distance among pharmacists in this study were comparable to findings from developed countries.