Community Perception and Attitude Towards People with Schizophrenia Among Residents of Arba Minch Zuria District, Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites System (AM-HDSS), Ethiopia: Cross-Section Study

Negussie Boti,1 Sultan Hussen,1 Gistane Ayele,1 Abera Mersha,2 Selamawit Gebeyehu,1 Mekidm Kassa,1 Tesfaye Feleke,1 Gebremaryam Temesgen3 1School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 2School of Nursing, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia; 3Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Negussie Boti Tel +251-920-997-752Email Hanehalid@gmail.comBackground: Mental health disorders have identified as being one of the public health issues throughout the world. Recent evidence reveals that more than 21 million people diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, there is little information about community perception and attitude towards people with Schizophrenia in Ethiopia.Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the community perception and attitude towards people with Schizophrenia among residents of Arba Minch Zuria Districts, Southern Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 617 randomly selected adults. Interviewer-administered standard tool was used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics like frequency, mean, and median computed. A binary logistic regression model used to identify factors affecting community perception and attitude towards people with schizophrenia.Results: Of the study population, 469 (76%) of respondents had good perception and 390 (63.2%) had positive attitudes towards people with schizophrenia. The study participants identified talkativeness and self-neglect behaviors as the most common manifestations of schizophrenia. Besides, this study identified substance misuse and head injury as the perceived cause and spiritual or traditional methods as a preferred treatment for people with schizophrenia. Moreover, the study participants preferred spiritual or traditional methods for the treatment of schizophrenia. Young age [AOR=2.03, 95% CI: 1.21, 3.40], females [AOR=2.32, 95% CI: 1.58, 3.41], good perception towards people with schizophrenia [AOR=4.95, 95% CI: 3.25, 7.54] and no formal educational status [AOR=2.75, 95% CI: 1.33, 5.70], and primary education [AOR=3.72, 95% CI: 1.87, 7.39] were significantly associated with the attitude towards people with schizophrenia.Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that approximately one-third of the residents had unfavorable attitudes towards people with schizophrenia. Therefore, giving special attention to male, elders and those who were educated, and individuals who have poor perceptions of people with schizophrenia is crucial.Keywords: perception, attitude, schizophrenia, Arba Minch Zuria District, Southern Ethiopia