Local authorities’ attitude towards people with mental illness in Musanze District, Rwanda

Introduction: Mental illnesses (MIs) are currently contributing to the worldwide burden of disease and they are among 10 main causes of disability on worldwide. In addition, mental Health care users are among the people most stigmatized by the general population which includes local leaders. Methods: The design used for conducting this study was quantitative and cross-sectional survey and the study was conducted in Muhoza sector of Musanze District in Rwanda. The tool used to correct data was self-report questionnaire that included socio-demographic variables (gender, age, experience and level of education), level of contact scale and community attitudes towards mental illness - Swedish version (CAMI-S). In this study self-report questionnaire was provided to the local authorities in Muhoza sector (n=123, N=174). Data analysis was done using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 22. Results: Findings from the current study revealed negative stereotypical attitudes among local authorities towards people with mental illness. The participants’ total score on the CAMI-S was ranging between 24% and 81%. In addition, the study revealed some contradictions and neutral responses. Less negative stereotypical attitudes were found among participants who have university and secondary education levels than participants with primary education and those who have not completed primary school. In addition, participants with more experience in local government system reflected less negative stereotypical attitudes than participants who are less experienced in local government system. This study showed a negative correlation between level of contact and community attitudes towards mental illness. Conclusion: Local authorities in a selected sector of Musanze District, hold negative stereotypical attitudes towards people with mental disorders. However, the extent of contradiction within participant responses suggests social desirability bias. Also, there is association between negative stereotypical attitudes and the level of education and experience. Finally, the results suggest that familiarity has a mediating effect on negative stereotypical attitudes. Keywords: Local authorities, mental illness, negative stereotypical attitudes, familiarity, sector