Community Perception and Attitude towards people with Depression among Adults Residing in Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (AM-HDSS), Southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Negative perception and attitude of community prevents many people with depression and their caregivers from seeking help and receiving adequate treatment due to fear of social reaction and may try to hide the illness. The reasons for negative attitudes are not consistent across communities or cultures. Therefore, understanding the level of community perception and attitude towards people with depression is important to develop an intervention to reduce the impact of mental illness. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 617 randomly selected adults. The data was collected using structured, pre-tested, and interviewer-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics like frequency, mean, and median were performed. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors that affect the community attitude towards people with depression. RESULTS: Of the study population, 325(52.7%) had a good perception and 246(39.9%) had a positive attitude towards people with depression. The majority of study participants frequently identified as the perceived cause of depression was substance misuse, loss of loved one, and conflict within a family. In addition, psychosocial treatment was the most preferred treatment for people with depression in the study area. Marital status and educational status were significantly associated with the community attitude towards people with depression CONCLUSION: Giving special attention to people with substance misuse, loss of loved one, and conflict within a family is very vital for the prevention of depression. In addition, future mental health promotion activities should focus on cause and common manifestation of depression to improve the attitude toward people with depression.