Burden of caregiving among caregivers of patients with severe mental illnesses in Benin City, Nigeria.

Background: Severe mental illness exerts a tremendous burden on both the sufferer and caregiver. Such burden has been severally identified as enormous involving psychological, physical and economic challenges. Objectives: This study examined the prevalence of burden of caregiving among caregivers of patients with severe mental illness; its relationship with the socio-demographic characteristics of the caregivers and patients, and the clinical variables of the patients. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed, and participants included a dyad of 141 consecutive caregivers and patients who met the study inclusion criteria at the psychiatric out-patient clinic of a tertiary hospital. The Zarit Burden Interview was used to collect data from the caregivers; in addition, separate socio-demographic data collection sheets were used to collect data from caregivers and patients accordingly. Version 22 of SPSS was used to analyze the data at a statistically significant level of P< 0.05. Results: About 37.6% of the caregivers experienced moderate to severe burden of caregiving. Duration of caregiving had a weak positive correlation with burden of care (r=.298, p=.004). While adjusting for other variables, duration of caregiving (OR=1.163, P=.017, 95% CI=1.027-1.317), and poor social support (OR=.438, P=.047, 95% CI=.194-.199) retained independent, statistically significant association with burden of caregiving, explaining about 16% in the variance of burden of caregiving. Conclusion: There is a need to provide social support for caregivers of persons suffering from mental illness. Subsidization of cost of medication and hospitalization can reduce the burden experienced.

Predictors of bullying reported by perpetrators in a sample of senior school students in Benin City, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Bullying behaviour amongst adolescents is becoming a significant public health challenge. Whilst the traditional and electronic bullying as reported by victims has been widely reported, surveys amongst perpetrators, particularly in Africa, are still lacking. AIM: This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of bullying by perpetrators and analysing the relationship between bullying perpetration and psycho-socio-demographic characteristics amongst senior school students in Benin City, Nigeria. SETTING: Senior secondary school in Benin City, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 465 final-year secondary school students aged 16-19 years, who were selected by multistage random sampling, was conducted. The students were made to fill a self-designed questionnaire, in addition to an adapted version of the Wagnild and Young's resilience scale. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of bullying was 16.3%. Binary logistic regression revealed bullying to be significantly associated with students who are male (adjusted odds ratio [AOD] = 2.13, confidence interval [CI] = 1.16-3.93), have poor relations with their teachers (AOR = 2.98, CI = 1.68-5.29), have used alcohol (AOR = 3.51, CI = 1.74-7.09) and are involved in cult and gangsterism (AOR = 9.14, CI = 2.55-32.75). CONCLUSION: The rate of bullying perpetration by youth in Benin City, Nigeria, is significant and is comparable to global occurrence. The predictors of bullying in this study suggest that perpetrators are individuals who may benefit from rehabilitative measures.

Prevalence and correlates of depression and anxiety disorder in a sample of inmates in a Nigerian prison.

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY: Prisoners tend to be marginalized and deprived of the rights and privileges that other citizens in the community enjoy. Their separation from families, adverse effects on health of prison environment, and the uncertainty about the future place a great psychological burden on them which can lead to the development of mental illness. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity (depression and anxiety) and the associated factors among a sample of the prison inmates. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study was descriptive and cross-sectional in design; it was conducted in a medium security prison in Benin City, Nigeria. Participants were interviewed with the Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Two hundred and fifty-two prisoners who were selected by systematic sampling techniques participated in the study and the data were analyzed using the 16th version of the SPSS with the statistical level of significance set at p < 0.05. Data were presented in tables; frequencies and percentages were calculated. Chi-square and logistic regression statistical tests were performed to determine variables that have relationship with psychiatric morbidity. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 33.6 years (SD ± 9.29), and the majority of the respondents (43.7%) were in the age range 21-30 years. The prevalence of general psychiatric morbidity (SRQ-20 caseness) was 80.6%, while 72.6% and 77.8% were found to be positive for depression and anxiety symptoms respectively on the HADS. Overall, 84.5% of the respondents had at least one type of psychiatric morbidity. Age, marital status, self-reported physical and mental health, previous mental illness, imprisonment status, prison accommodation, prison meal, and health care services were found to be significantly associated with depression, anxiety or general psychiatric morbidity. Self-reported poor current mental health was the only variable that predicted all the three types of psychiatric morbidity. CONCLUSION: Prisoners in this study, and as in previous reports, had high prevalence rates of psychiatric morbidity. Thus, prisoners have a need for regular psychiatric screening and treatment. The consequences of untreated psychiatric morbidity and the need for improved health care services and infrastructure in the prison were discussed.