Nurses' Attitude Towards Patients with Mental Illness in a General Hospital in Kuwait
Affiliations
Affiliations
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital, Jabriya, Kuwait.
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Al-Amiri Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait.
- Department of Psychiatry, Health Sciences Center, Kuwait University, Safat, Kuwait.
Abstract
Introduction: Stigma and discrimination have been reported to cause unnecessary delay in mentally-ill patients seeking help, which adversely affects a patient's outcome. The attitude of health care professionals has been described as being, even more, negative than that of the general public, which worsens the prognosis for patients with a mental illness.
Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the attitude of nurses toward mentally-ill patients in a general hospital.
Methods: All the nurses in the hospital were administered a 40-item Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally-Ill (CAMI) questionnaire which determines whether the mentally-ill are viewed as "inferior;" deserve "sympathy;" perceived as a "threat" to society or "acceptable" if residing in community dwellings. The analysis of variance was performed to determine association of the four subscales with the individual characteristics, including age, gender, education, qualification type, position held, contact and contact type.
Results: Out of a total of 990 nurses, 308 (31%) completed the CAMI questionnaire. The mean scores for the authoritarian (2.85), benevolent (3.66), social restrictiveness (2.97) and community mental health ideology (3.48) subscales reflected a negative attitude of nurses toward mentally-ill patients. The direct or indirect utilization of the mental health facilities resulted in significantly higher authoritarian and lower benevolence scores, indicating a positive attitude change in this group of nurses.
Conclusion: Despite the small size and selective nature of the sample, the nurses' negative attitude toward the mentally-ill patients provides useful baseline data for further large-scale studies and underscores the need for psychoeducation of different health care professionals, including nurses.
Keywords: Arab; Kuwait; mental illness; nurses; stigma.
Conflict of interest statement
There are no conflicts of interest.
Similar articles
Cremonini V, Pagnucci N, Giacometti F, Rubbi I.Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2018 Feb;32(1):24-30. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2017.09.007. Epub 2017 Sep 19.PMID: 29413068
Barke A, Nyarko S, Klecha D.Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2011 Nov;46(11):1191-202. doi: 10.1007/s00127-010-0290-3. Epub 2010 Sep 26.PMID: 20872212 Free PMC article.
Bedaso A, Yeneabat T, Yohannis Z, Bedasso K, Feyera F.PLoS One. 2016 Mar 1;11(3):e0149429. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149429. eCollection 2016.PMID: 26930591 Free PMC article.
Ma HI, Hsieh CE.BMC Med Educ. 2020 Feb 27;20(1):59. doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-1976-1.PMID: 32106850 Free PMC article. Review.
Brunero S, Buus N, West S.Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2017 Dec;31(6):614-623. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2017.09.003. Epub 2017 Sep 5.PMID: 29179830 Review.
Cited by
Häger M, Boman E, Forsman AK.Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2023 Jun 26;9:23337214231179819. doi: 10.1177/23337214231179819. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.PMID: 37457398 Free PMC article.
Amaechi IA, Nwani PO, Akadieze AO.J Educ Health Promot. 2023 Mar 31;12:82. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_730_22. eCollection 2023.PMID: 37288408 Free PMC article.
Valentim O, Moutinho L, Laranjeira C, Querido A, Tomás C, Longo J, Carvalho D, Gomes J, Morgado T, Correia T.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar 5;20(5):4601. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20054601.PMID: 36901609 Free PMC article.
Ghuloum S, Mahfoud ZR, Al-Amin H, Marji T, Kehyayan V.Front Psychiatry. 2022 May 16;13:884947. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.884947. eCollection 2022.PMID: 35651821 Free PMC article.
Taghva A, Noorbala AA, Khademi M, Shahriari A, Nasr Esfahani M, Asadi A, Mohsenifar J, Yousefifard A, Abolhassani M, Bolhari J, Hajebi A, Rahnejat AM, Shahed-Haghghadam H.Front Psychiatry. 2022 Apr 1;13:864806. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.864806. eCollection 2022.PMID: 35432029 Free PMC article.
KMEL References
References
-
- World Health Organization. Mental Health Declaration for Europe: Facing the Challenges, Building Solutions: Report from the WHO European Ministerial Conference. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2005.
-
- Byrne P. Stigma of mental illness and ways of diminishing it. Adv Psychiatr Treat. 2000;6:65–72.
-
- Wang PS, Berglund P, Olfson M, Pincus HA, Wells KB, Kessler RC. Failure and delay in initial treatment contact after first onset of mental disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:603–13. - PubMed
-
- Morgan C, Fearon P. Social experience and psychosis insights from studies of migrant and ethnic minority groups. Epidemiol Psichiatr Soc. 2007;16:118–23. - PubMed
-
- Brinn F. Patients with mental illness: General nurses' attitudes and expectations. Nurs Stand. 2000;14:32–6. - PubMed
-
- Schulze B, Angermeyer MC. Subjective experiences of stigma. A focus group study of schizophrenic patients, their relatives and mental health professionals. Soc Sci Med. 2003;56:299–312. - PubMed
-
- Nordt C, Anthony M, Ajdacic-Gross V, Rössler W. What about psychiatrists' attitudes to mentally ill people. Eur Psychiatry. 2004;19:423–7. - PubMed
-
- Rao H, Mahadevappa H, Pillay P, Sessay M, Abraham A, Luty J. A study of stigmatized attitudes towards people with mental health problems among health professionals. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2009;16:279–84. - PubMed
-
- Jorm AF, Korten AE, Jacomb PA, Christensen H, Henderson S. Attitudes towards people with a mental disorder: A survey of the Australian public and health professionals. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1999;33:77–83. - PubMed
-
- Caldwell TM, Jorm AF. Mental health nurses' beliefs about interventions for schizophrenia and depression: A comparison with psychiatrists and the public. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2000;34:602–11. - PubMed
-
- Chambers M, Guise V, Välimäki M, Botelho MA, Scott A, Staniuliené V, et al. Nurses' attitudes to mental illness: A comparison of a sample of nurses from five European countries. Int J Nurs Stud. 2010;47:350–62. - PubMed
-
- Repper J, Perkins R. Social Inclusion and Recovery: A Model for Mental Health Practice. Edinburgh: Baillier Tindall; 2006.
-
- World Health Organization. Atlas: Nurses in Mental Health. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2007.
-
- Ludvigsen C. Enhancing nurse mobility in Europe: A case for language skills. Nurse Educ Today. 1997;17:87–90. - PubMed
-
- Scott DJ, Philip AE. Attitudes of psychiatric nurses to treatment and patients. Br J Med Psychol. 1985;58(Pt 2):169–73. - PubMed
-
- Mavundla TR, Uys LR. The attitudes of nurses' mobility in Europe – A case for language skills. Nurse Educ Today. 1997;17:87–90. - PubMed
-
- Bairan A, Farnsworth B. Attitudes toward mental illness: Does a psychiatric nursing course make a difference? Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 1989;3:351–7. - PubMed
-
- McLaughlin C. The effect of classroom theory and contact with patients on the attitudes of student nurses towards mentally ill people. J Adv Nurs. 1997;26:1221–8. - PubMed
-
- Read J, Law A. The relationship of causal beliefs and contact with users of mental health services to attitudes to the ‘mentally ill’. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 1999;45:216–29. - PubMed
-
- Couture SM, Penn DL. Interpersonal contact and the stigma of mental illness: A review of the literature. J Ment Health. 2003;12:291–305.
-
- Kahn AM. Relationship between nurses' opinions about mental illness and experience. Nurs Res. 1976;25:136–40. - PubMed
-
- Weller L, Grunes S. Does contact with the mentally ill affect nurses' attitudes to mental illness? Br J Med Psychol. 1988;61:277–84. - PubMed
-
- Callaghan P, Shan CS, Yu LS, Ching LW, Kwan TL. Attitudes towards mental illness: Testing the contact hypothesis among Chinese student nurses in Hong Kong. J Adv Nurs. 1997;26:33–40. - PubMed
-
- Addison SJ, Thorpe SJ. Factors involved in the formation of attitudes towards those who are mentally ill. Soc Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2004;39:228–34. - PubMed
-
- Health Kuwait (Ed XL111). Health and Vital Statistics Division, Department of Statistics and Medical Records 2006, Ministry of Health, Kuwait. 2006
-
- Taylor SM, Dear MJ. Scaling community attitudes toward the mentally ill. Schizophr Bull. 1981;7:225–40. - PubMed
-
- Kingdon D, Sharma T, Hart D. The Schizophrenia subgroup of the royal college of psychiatrists' changing minds campaign. What attitudes do psychiatrists hold towards people with mental illness? Psychiatr Bull. 2004;28:401–6.
-
- Sévigny R, Yang W, Zhang P, Marleau JD, Yang Z, Su L, et al. Attitudes toward the mentally ill in a sample of professionals working in a psychiatric hospital in Beijing (China) Int J Soc Psychiatry. 1999;45:41–55. - PubMed
-
- Tay SE, Pariyasami S, Ravindran K, Ali MI, Rowsudeen MT. Nurses' attitudes toward people with mental illnesses in a psychiatric hospital in Singapore. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2004;42:40–7. - PubMed
-
- IBM Corp. Released 2013. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp;
-
- Sartorius N. Stigma and mental health. Lancet. 2007;370:810–1. - PubMed
-
- Wang PS, Berglund P, Olfson M, Pincus HA, Wells KB, Kessler RC. Failure and delay in initial treatment contact after first onset of mental disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jun;62:603–13. - PubMed
-
- Fakhr El-Islam M. Arab culture and mental health care. Transcult Psychiatry. 2008;45:671–82. - PubMed
-
- Kadri N, Manoudi F, Berrada S, Moussaoui D. Stigma impact on Moroccan families of patients with schizophrenia. Can J Psychiatry. 2004;49:625–9. - PubMed
-
- Okasha A. Mental health services in the Arab World. Arab Stud Q. 2003;25:39–52.
-
- Schomerus G, Schwahn C, Holzinger A, Corrigan PW, Grabe HJ, Carta MG, et al. Evolution of public attitudes about mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2012;125:440–52. - PubMed
-
- Björkman T, Angelman T, Jönsson M. Attitudes towards people with mental illness: A cross-sectional study among nursing staff in psychiatric and somatic care. Scand J Caring Sci. 2008;22:170–7. - PubMed
-
- Angermeyer MC, Dietrich S. Public beliefs about and attitudes towards people with mental illness: A review of population studies. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2006;113:163–79. - PubMed
-
- Nairn S, Hardy C, Parumal L, Williams GA. Multicultural or anti-racist teaching in nurse education: A critical appraisal. Nurse Educ Today. 2004;24:188–95. - PubMed
-
- Time to Change. Changing attitudes, challenging discrimination, improving wellbeing. London: Time to Change; 2010.