Background: Domestic violence has far-reaching consequences, yet not much is known about its burden, perpetrators, and its correlates among patients with severe mental illness, including patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and major depression.
Aim: To determine the prevalence, perpetrators, and correlates of domestic violence directed against patients with severe mental illness in Lagos, Nigeria.
Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 180 randomly selected patients with severe mental illness at the outpatient clinic of Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Lagos. Ethical approval was granted by the ethical committee of the hospital. The study involved the administration of a socio-demographic and clinical factors questionnaire, Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-PLUS, Positive and Negative Symptoms Scales, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale, and the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale to study participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square, Mann Whitney-U, and logistic regression at 5% level of significance.
Results: The prevalence of domestic violence among patients with severe mental illness was 46%. The perpetrators of domestic violence were spouses: 49%, siblings: 22%, paid caregivers: 10%, and others: 19%. The socio-demographic factors associated with domestic violence were being married (p <0.001) and working as a manager (p = 0.035). The clinical factors associated with domestic violence were older age at diagnosis (p = 0.007), longer illness duration (p = 0.022), and higher severity of schizophrenia (p <0.001).
Conclusion: This study revealed a huge burden of domestic violence among patients with severe mental illness. The outcome of this study reveals the need for a high index of suspicion, screening, and prompt intervention for patients with severe mental illness experiencing domestic violence. The need for relative psycho-education and support is also indicated.
International Journal of Research in Psychiatry
