Study of factors affecting attitude towards people with mental illness in Azerbaijan

Aim. To determine the factors that form attitude towards persons with severe mental disorders, as well as to establish a correlation between these factors and socio-demographic variables. Methods. Cross-sectional study was conducted among 1000 respondents in five regions of the country. The questionnaire included nine statements designed to identify different aspects concerning the relation of society towards people with mental disorders. The interviews were conducted by specially trained volunteers living in the capital and regions of the country. All interviewers were instructed about the objectives of the study and procedure of the survey and 1100 printed questionnaires were distributed. As a result, 996 completed questionnaires were collected, thus the response to the survey comprised 90.5%, i.e. the number of study participants was consistent with the planned sample size. Results. The study established three-factor structure of attitude towards people with mental disorders. Older age and personal acquaintance with a patient was associated with lower degree of social distance, while female gender was associated with greater degree of social threat perception. The tolerant attitude positively correlated with marital status and familiarity with patients, and negatively with the presence of mental illness in the family. The results of the multivariate linear regression suggest that social distancing does not depend on gender, education, marital status and place of residence of the respondents. However, older persons are more likely to recognize the fact that persons with mental disorders are unable to adapt to society and to fulfill social functions. In addition, personal experience of dealing with patients is associated with lower level of social distancing. Conclusion. The three-factor structure allows better understanding of various aspects of stigmatization of persons with mental disorders.