The Influence of Mass Media Channels on Mental Illness Stigmatization among Students in Kenya Medical Training College
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Abstract
Mental illnesses have been known to distress the general population as a whole. Notably, no social demographic is exempt from mental illnesses with the modern dynamics and challenges increasing the magnitude of mental illness. Students especially in higher learning institutions are not spared from the over-increasing mental illnesses. Despite the challenges brought about by mental illnesses among the students, stigmatization of the mentally ill has been high among them. This has seen increased drop-out of school, total insanity and sometimes suicide due to lack of psychosocial support among the mentally ill students, especially their peers. The mass media has been a critical tool of communication. However, there is little evidence on its role in mental health stigmatization hence this study seeks to assess the role of mass media channels on the mental illness stigmatization among college students. The research utilized the descriptive survey design and where both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze the data. The target population of this study comprised of the students at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). There were 51045 students in the college as of July 2022. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the students. The data was analysed using mixed method analysis where both quantitative and qualitative data was analysed. The quantitative data was analysed using inferential and descriptive statistics through SPSS. Content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings revealed that mass media channels played a critical role in determining the spread of information and the perceptions of mental illness among students. The channels of mass media communication were found to instigate mental illness stigmatization among college students. Digital media was found to have the strongest influence on mental health stigmatization followed by broadcasting media, print media and outdoor media. It is recommended that these channels of mass media ought to be more positive and encourage students to uphold and accept the mentally ill to minimize stigmatization.
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Maina J. Kamau, & Kenneth Goga Riany. (2023). The Influence of Mass Media Channels on Mental Illness Stigmatization among Students in Kenya Medical Training College. SIASAT, 8(2), 63-77. https://doi.org/10.33258/siasat.v8i2.147
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References
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Miller, A. N., Napakol, A., & Kujak, M. K. (2019). Representation of mental illness in leading Ugandan daily newspapers: A content analysis. Health Communication, 1-9.
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Röhm, A., Hastall, M. R., & Ritterfeld, U. (2017). How movies shape Students' attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia: an exploration of the relationships between entertainment experience and stigmatization. Issues in mental health nursing, 38(3), 193-201.
Scolari, C. A. (2012). Media ecology: Exploring the metaphor to expand the theory. Communication theory, 22(2), 204-225.
Soghoyan, A., & Gasparyan, K. (2017). Mental health and stigma. In Global Mental Health (pp. 61-69). Springer, Cham.
Srivastava, K., Chaudhury, S., Bhat, P. S., & Mujawar, S. (2018). Media and mental health. Industrial psychiatry journal, 27(1), 1–5.
Stefanovics, E. A., Rosenheck, R. A., He, H., Ofori-Atta, A., Cavalcanti, M., & Chiles, C. (2016). Medical student beliefs and attitudes toward mental illness across five nations. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 204(12), 909-915.
Su, Y., & Xiao, X. (2020). From WeChat to “We set”: exploring the intermedia agenda-setting effects across WeChat public accounts, party newspaper and metropolitan newspapers in China. Chinese Journal of Communication, 1-19.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (2019). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP19-5068, NSDUH Series H-54).
Trautmann, S., Rehm, J., & Wittchen, H. U. (2016). The economic costs of mental disorders: Do our societies react appropriately to the burden of mental disorders?. EMBO reports, 17(9), 1245-1249.
Verger, P., Guagliardo, V., Gilbert, F., Rouillon, F., & Kovess-Masfety, V. (2010). Psychiatric disorders in students in six French universities: 12-month prevalence, comorbidity, impairment and help-seeking. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 45(2), 189-199.
Wahl, O. F. (1992). Mass media images of mental illness: A review of the literature. Journal of Community Psychology, 20(4), 343-352.
World Health Organization (2015). Mental health atlas 2014. Switzerland: WHO.
World Health Organization. (2010). Strengthening our response.
World Health Organization. (2011). WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2011: warning about the dangers of tobacco. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Zehl, R. A., Mayer, J., Thomas, S., & Thiel, A. (2018). Mass media framing of mental illness in elite sports–A case study from Australian football.
Zhu, Y., Zhang, H., Yang, G., Hu, X., Liu, Z., Guo, N., ... & Rosenheck, R. (2018). Attitudes towards mental illness among medical students in China: Impact of medical education on stigma. Asia‐Pacific Psychiatry, 10(2), e12294.
Audu, A. A., Idris, S. H., Olisah, V. O., & Sheikh, T. L. (2013). Stigmatization of people with mental illness among inhabitants of rural community in Northern Nigeria. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 59(1), 55-60.
Auerbach, R. P., Mortier, P., Bruffaerts, R., Alonso, J., Benjet, C., Cuijpers, P., ... & Murray, E. (2018). WHO World Mental Health Surveys International College Student Project: Prevalence and distribution of mental disorders. Journal of abnormal psychology, 127(7), 623.
Bedaso, A., Duko, B., & Yeneabat, T. (2020). Predictors of mental distress among undergraduate health science students of Hawassa University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa, SNNPR, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. Annals of General Psychiatry, 19(1), 6.
Bryant, J., & Zillmann, D. (2002). Media effects. Advances in theory and research. New Jersey: LEA.
Dachew, B. A., Bisetegn, T. A., & Gebremariam, R. B. (2015). Prevalence of mental distress and associated factors among undergraduate students of University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional institutional based study. Plos one, 10(3), e0119464.
Dessie, Y., Ebrahim, J., & Awoke, T. (2013). Mental distress among university students in Ethiopia: a cross sectional survey. Pan African Medical Journal, 15(1).
Edegoh, L. O., Ezebuenyi, E. E., & Asemah, E. S. (2013). Television as a medium of political advertising during elections in Anambra State, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(3), 375-385.
Eksteen, H. C., Becker, P. J., & Lippi, G. (2017). Stigmatization towards the mentally ill: Perceptions of psychiatrists, pre-clinical and post-clinical rotation medical students. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 63(8), 782-791.
Elliott, I. B. J., Chakkalackal, L., Purcell, M., Graham, C., & Chandra, A. (2015). Fundamental facts about mental health. The Mental Health Foundation, London.
Ezegwu, D., Etukudo, O. R., & Akpan, U. A. (2015). Political advertising and the electorate’s choice of candidates in Nigeria’s 2015 general election: A study of select electorate in Anambra State. Communication panorama, African and global: A multidisciplinary international research journal, 1(1), 129-143.
Fisher, A. A., Laing, J. E., Stoeckel, J. E. & Townsend, J. W. (1991).Handbook for Family Planning Operations Research Design.(2nd Ed.), Population Council, New York, USA. 43pp.
Grzywińska, I., & Batorski, D. B. (2016). How the emergence of social networking sites challenges agenda-setting theory. Konteksty Społeczne, (1), 19-32.
Hone, T., Macinko, J., & Millett, C. (2018). Revisiting Alma-Ata: what is the role of primary health care in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals? The Lancet, 392(10156), 1461-1472.
Ishaku, U. G., Terao, T., Takai, J., Karuri, G. S., & Matsumoto, M. (2018). Comparing loneliness and mental health status of college students in Nigeria and Japan. IFE PsychologIA: An International Journal, 26(1), 279-297.
Jenkins, R., Njenga, F., Okonji, M., Kigamwa, P., Baraza, M., Ayuyo, J., ... & Kiima, D. (2012). Prevalence of common mental disorders in a rural district of Kenya, and socio-demographic risk factors. International journal of environmental research and public health, 9(5), 1810-1819.
Kagunda, J., & Nabushawo, S. J. Kenya’s Media Representation of Mental Health and the Role of Stigma Communication.
Kimotho, S. G. (2018). Understanding the Nature of Stigma Communication Associated With Mental Illness in Africa: A Focus on Cultural Beliefs and Stereotypes. In Deconstructing Stigma in Mental Health (pp. 20-41). IGI Global.
Lasalvia A, Zoppei S, Van Bortel T, Bonetto C, Cristofalo D, Wahlbeck K, Vasseur Bacle B, Van Audenhove C, van Weeghel J, Reneses B, Germanavicius A, Economou M, Lanfredi M, Ando S, Sartorius N, Lopez-Ibor JJ, Thornicroft G, the ASPEN/INDIGO Study Group (2013). Global pattern of experienced and anticipated discrimination reported by people with major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional survey. The Lancet 381, 55–62.
Li, J., Liang, W., Yuan, B., & Zeng, G. (2020). Internalized stigmatization, social support, and individual mental health problems in the public health crisis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4507.
Lipson, S. K., Lattie, E. G., & Eisenberg, D. (2019). Increased rates of mental health service utilization by US college students: 10-year population-level trends (2007–2017). Psychiatric services, 70(1), 60-63.
Ma, Z. (2017). How the media cover mental illnesses: a review. Health Education.
McCombs, M. E., Shaw, D. L., & Weaver, D. H. (2014). New directions in agenda-setting theory and research. Mass communication and society, 17(6), 781-802.
Miller, A. N., Napakol, A., & Kujak, M. K. (2019). Representation of mental illness in leading Ugandan daily newspapers: A content analysis. Health Communication, 1-9.
Ministry of Health. (2015). Kenya mental health policy 2015–2030. 2015. https ://publi catio ns.unive rsalh ealth 2030.org/uploads/Kenya -Menta l-Healt h-Policy.pdf. Accessed 30 Apr 2020
Oswalt, S. B., Lederer, A. M., Chestnut-Steich, K., Day, C., Halbritter, A., & Ortiz, D. (2020). Trends in college students’ mental health diagnoses and utilization of services, 2009–2015. Journal of American college health, 68(1), 41-51.
Parrott, S., Billings, A. C., Buzzelli, N., & Towery, N. (2019). “We All Go Through It”: Media Depictions of Mental Illness Disclosures From Star Athletes DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Love. Communication & Sport, 2167479519852605.
Röhm, A., Hastall, M. R., & Ritterfeld, U. (2017). How movies shape Students' attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia: an exploration of the relationships between entertainment experience and stigmatization. Issues in mental health nursing, 38(3), 193-201.
Scolari, C. A. (2012). Media ecology: Exploring the metaphor to expand the theory. Communication theory, 22(2), 204-225.
Soghoyan, A., & Gasparyan, K. (2017). Mental health and stigma. In Global Mental Health (pp. 61-69). Springer, Cham.
Srivastava, K., Chaudhury, S., Bhat, P. S., & Mujawar, S. (2018). Media and mental health. Industrial psychiatry journal, 27(1), 1–5.
Stefanovics, E. A., Rosenheck, R. A., He, H., Ofori-Atta, A., Cavalcanti, M., & Chiles, C. (2016). Medical student beliefs and attitudes toward mental illness across five nations. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 204(12), 909-915.
Su, Y., & Xiao, X. (2020). From WeChat to “We set”: exploring the intermedia agenda-setting effects across WeChat public accounts, party newspaper and metropolitan newspapers in China. Chinese Journal of Communication, 1-19.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (2019). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP19-5068, NSDUH Series H-54).
Trautmann, S., Rehm, J., & Wittchen, H. U. (2016). The economic costs of mental disorders: Do our societies react appropriately to the burden of mental disorders?. EMBO reports, 17(9), 1245-1249.
Verger, P., Guagliardo, V., Gilbert, F., Rouillon, F., & Kovess-Masfety, V. (2010). Psychiatric disorders in students in six French universities: 12-month prevalence, comorbidity, impairment and help-seeking. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 45(2), 189-199.
Wahl, O. F. (1992). Mass media images of mental illness: A review of the literature. Journal of Community Psychology, 20(4), 343-352.
World Health Organization (2015). Mental health atlas 2014. Switzerland: WHO.
World Health Organization. (2010). Strengthening our response.
World Health Organization. (2011). WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2011: warning about the dangers of tobacco. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Zehl, R. A., Mayer, J., Thomas, S., & Thiel, A. (2018). Mass media framing of mental illness in elite sports–A case study from Australian football.
Zhu, Y., Zhang, H., Yang, G., Hu, X., Liu, Z., Guo, N., ... & Rosenheck, R. (2018). Attitudes towards mental illness among medical students in China: Impact of medical education on stigma. Asia‐Pacific Psychiatry, 10(2), e12294.