The influence of demographic factors on adolescents' knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness in Makurdi metropolis

Abstract

The study examined the influence of demographic factors on adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness in Makurdi. A total of 378 respondents were sampled from five secondary schools in Makurdi, of whom 216 (57.1%) were males and 162 (42.9%) were females. The respondents were aged between 12 and 24 years, with a mean age of 12.3 years. The Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) and the Attitudes towards Mental Illness Scale (AMIS) were used for data collection. Five hypotheses were tested using Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). The results showed that there was no significant sex difference in adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness in Makurdi. There was also no significant age difference in adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness in Makurdi. However, there was a significant ethnic difference in adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness in Makurdi. Similarly, there was a significant religious difference in adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness in Makurdi. Finally, there was no significant joint influence of sex, age, ethnicity, and religion on adolescents’ knowledge and attitudes towards mental illness in Makurdi. Based on these findings, it was recommended, among other things, that the federal, state, and local governments, through their ministries and departments of health, should employ more Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) to educate adolescents about mental illness within their communities.