An Ethnographic Study on Clergymen Concerning the Aetiology and Management of Mental Illness in South Western Nigeria
Advances in Research · pp. 25–35 · Published 25 Feb 2023
10.9734/air/2023/v24i3939Abstract
Background: The clergy plays an important role in the care of mentally ill people in developing countries because of the predominant belief that supernatural factors are responsible for mental illness and spiritual healers are sought by the mentally ill and/or their relatives for treatment. This study aimed to assess clergymen’s beliefs about the etiology and treatment of mental illnesses in southwest Nigeria. Methods: The study was qualitative design and ethnographic in nature, conducted on one hundred and forty-eight clergymen at the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomoso, Nigeria. A convenient sampling technique was used and Self-administered questionnaires to obtain sociodemographic details. An In-depth/Semi-structured interview involving Focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII) was used for the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. The sociodemographic variables were presented on a frequency table. Results: The study involved hundred and forty-eight respondents with male preponderance. From the focus group discussion and key informant interview, respondents believed that mental illness depends on the victim’s predispositions and could as well result from spiritual attacks directly or indirectly through or from ancestral lineage, genetic factors, or evil forces. Although most of the respondents argued that mental illness is caused solely by spiritual attacks and can only be treated by spiritual means like an exorcism. However, the majority believed that a holistic approach to treatment must involve the spiritual, psychological and medical. Conclusion: The factor of theological education shines through in the definition, recognition, treatment, the concept of cure and clergy role in the management and community advocacy for mental illness although within the context of cultural beliefs of supernatural etiology of mental illness. With improved knowledge and their holistic approach to care, the clergymen will be able to effectively work with the orthodox medical practitioners in a wholesome way through an effective referral system, ensuring compliance, rehabilitation and banishing discrimination.
References (18)
- 1 Perception and beliefs about mental illness among adults in Karfi village, northern Nigeria [DOI]
- 2 A Window on the ‘New’ Sociology of Childhood [DOI]
- 3 African Concepts of Health, Disease, and Treatment: An Ethical Inquiry [DOI]
- 4 The Clergy as a Resource for Those Encountering Psychological Distress [DOI]
- 5 Lay beliefs regarding causes of mental illness in Nigeria: pattern and correlates [DOI]
- 6 Collaboration Between Psychiatrists and Clergy in Recognizing and Treating Serious Mental Illness [DOI]
- 7 Religious attributions pertaining to the causes and cures of mental illness [DOI]
- 8 Pentecostal perspectives on causes and cures of depression. [DOI]
- 9 The Pew Versus the Couch: Relationship Between Mental Health and Faith Communities and Lessons Learned from a VA/Clergy Partnership Project [DOI]
- 10 The attitudes of clergy in Benin City, Nigeria towards persons with mental illness [DOI]
- 11 The Appreciation of the Spiritual in Mental Illness: A Qualitative Study of Beliefs Among Clergy in the UK [DOI]
- 12 Baptist senior pastors’ knowledge and perceptions of mental illness [DOI]
- 13 Psychology and the church: An exemplar of psychologist-clergy collaboration. [DOI]
- 14 Clergy as collaborators in the delivery of mental health care: An exploratory survey from Benin City, Nigeria [DOI]
- 15 Clergy’s Beliefs About Mental Illness and Their Perception of Its Treatability: Experience from a Church-Based Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT) Trial in Nigeria [DOI]
- 16 Pastors' Perceptions of Mental Disorders [DOI]
- 17 The Practices of Apostolic Faith Healers in Mental Health Care in Zimbabwe [DOI]
- 18 Toward a co-professional model of clergy-psychologist referral.
Cited by 5
Wulf Rössler · Frontiers Research Topics · 2024
Hasan Sevinik, Burcu Ceylan · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · 2026
Adegboyega Ogunwale, Babatunde Fadipe, Oladayo Bifarin · Frontiers in Public Health · 2023
Showing 3 of 5 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.
Related research
- Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions about Mental Illness in Ekom Iman Community in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria — shares topic coverage
- Plant Medicine Healing! Discovering the Roots of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in Mental Health — shares topic coverage
- Perception of Parents of Children with Mental Health in Kisii County, Kenya — shares topic coverage
- The National Mental Health Act 2021 and Rights of Persons with Mental Illness in Nigeria — shares topic coverage
- Social Distance towards People with HIV-AIDS versus Mental Illness in a Sample of Adolescent Secondary Students in Lagos Nigeria — shares topic coverage
Article metrics
Real usage data collected on this platform.
91
Page views
0
PDF downloads
37
Outbound clicks
5
Citations
Views over time
Views by country
Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".
Traffic sources
Referring site, by host.
Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.