Assessment of Household Management of the Mentally Ill in Nigeria

Abstract

This study is aimed at assessing household management of the mentally ill. The participants were one hundred and fifty households purposively sampled for the study from the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. 25 households from each of the six zones. The instrument to generate data was a validated structured interview schedule reflecting Expressed Emotions of family members. The procedure was using trained research assistants who hail from the zones, to administer the person-to-person interview or conduct a focus group discussion in the zone’s lingua franca. The multi-dimensional scaling analysis using simple percentages had findings to show that household members harbour significant negative emotions as a result of deeply rooted cultural myths and economic poverty which significantly hamper family care for the mentally ill. A model of household holistic coping strategies was recommended.

Keywords: Household coping strategies, Expressed Emotions,
Mentally ill people, Nigeria.