Determinants of Mental Illness in A Rural Ethiopia Adult Population
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Date
1999-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
2000 subjects from two woredas of a rural sect i on of
Ethiopia were interviewed to determine how many were suffering
from mental disorder and what determinants are related to the
disorder. A WHO Self-Reporting Questionnaire was used to assess
mental illness. The questionnaire has been used before in
Ethiopia and measures neurotic, psychotic, and psychosomatic
illness in terms of s ymptoms. 344 cases were found, indicating
an overall frequency of 17.2%. The great majority of cases were
suffering from neurotic and psychosomatic illnesses. Psychiatric
morbidity was higher in women, in divorced/separated/widowed
groups, and in the age group 35 - 44. However, the level of social
stress experienced in the past year was most predictive of mental
illness; the higher a person 's stress level, the higher the
mental symptom score. Family history of mental illness was the
second best predictor.
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Determinants of Mental Illness in A Rural Ethiopia