VIOLENT VICTIMIZATION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS IN ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA: A FACILITY BASED CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Abstract Background: Violence has long been the leading cause of mortality and morbidity. It has been thought that people with mental illness (PWMI) are perpetrators of violence. However, several studies have suggested that PWMI are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. There are limited studies that assessed violence against PWMI in low and middle-income countries. Objectives: This study aimed to assess violent victimization and associated factors among PWMI attending the adult outpatient psychiatry clinic at Saint Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPMMC) between August and September 2022 Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted at the SPHMMC adult outpatient unit of the psychiatry department. The data was collected using a questionnaire administered by a trained professional. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Frequency and distribution, as well as cross-tabulations with chi-square findings, are presented in graphs and tables. In addition, further analysis for associations utilized a binary logistic regression. Result: A total of 237 patients participated, with a 99.1% response rate. Results showed that 23.7% were victims of violence, and 13.7% had perpetrated violence. Most (83.9%) reported psychological violence, followed by physical violence (60.7%). In addition, factors such as substance use (OR=0.16), violence perpetration (OR=0.21), living with family (OR=24) and employment [manual labor (OR=0.3), and government job (OR=0.25)] were found to be associated during further analysis. Conclusion & recommendations: This study showed that a high amount ofPWMI are victims of violence. This can affect quality of life of patients, treatment outcomes and overall public health. Sociodemographics and clinical factors that have been associated can be targeted to help ameliorate the high victimizations. These findings should prompt us to thoroughly assess our patients for a history of violent victimization and act accordingly. Keywords: Violence, victimization, Mental illness, Cross-sectional study, Addis Ababa