Socio-Economic Status and Mental Disorder— Profile of a Nigerian Psychiatric Inpatient Population

U.H. Ihezue, N. Kumaraswamy and A.N. Onuora
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U.H. Ihezue: Department of Psychological Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, NIGERIA
N. Kumaraswamy: Department of Psychological Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, NIGERIA
A.N. Onuora: Department of Psychological Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, Enugu, NIGERIA

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 1986, vol. 32, issue 1, 29-38

Abstract: A study of the socio-economic and diagnostic profile of psychiatric patients treated at a mental hospital in Nigeria over a period of six months was conducted. Schizophrenia, organic psychosis, and mental sub-normality were found to have been diagnosed more often among under privileged persons from lower socio-economic classes; while affective disorder (manic depression) and neurotic illness were commoner among persons from economically more fortunate higher social classes. Males-exceeded females in the cohort and the patients generally exhibited upward social mobility when compared with their parents. Possible socio-cultural factors contributing to the findings have been discussed. A suggestion is made for a more elaborate field work to study the relationship between socio-economic class and psychopathology in a developing country like Nigeria.

Date: 1986
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:32:y:1986:i:1:p:29-38

DOI: 10.1177/002076408603200104

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