아프리카ㆍ중동

Background: Stigma is significantly impacted by cultural and contextual value systems. People with mental health conditions frequently have to deal with the condition itself and the associated stigma  and  discrimination.  Contextual  understanding  is  essential  to  design  measures  and interventions.  Objective: This study aimed to explore experience and perception of people with mental health conditions, their families and key stakeholders. Method: A  qualitative  method used  to  understand mental  health related  stigma and  its local contexts. Sixteen participants including service  users, caregivers, service providers, and health service administrators were interviewed  Result: People with mental health conditions and their caregivers experienced various forms of stigmatization which is linked to attributions about the causality of the illness, overt manifestations of mental health condition leading to easy identification, and functional impairments that adversely affect participation. Social  contact, lived experiences sharing, training of service providers are relevant intervention strategy to address stigma.  Implication: Stigma and exclusion are prominent in the experiences of people with mental health conditions and their caregivers in this rural Ethiopian setting. Measurement of stigma and the development of  interventions  should consider  how stigma is  socially  constructed. Anti-stigma interventions need to be implemented alongside expanded local access to mental health care.