Disability Among Patients With Mental Illness In Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia, 2017, Community Based Crosssectional Study

Background: Disability is a limitation in performing socially defined roles and tasks expected within a social, cultural and physical environment. Despite it is a focus of concern in mental health care, the score of disability among mentally ill patients and its determinant factors were not studied in Jimma town, Southwest, Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the disability of patients with mental illness in Jimma town, Southwest Ethiopia, 2017. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study, with case tracing method, was conducted from April 20 to June 24/2017 among 304 patients in Jimma University Teaching Hospital. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 with 12 items. The collected data were analyzed by bivariate and multivariate linear regression analysis method using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20. Results: Out of 300 respondents, a majority had the diagnosis of schizophrenia 96 (32%) followed by 73 (24.3%) major depressive disorder. The median score of disability of the respondents was 11.1 within the ranges from 0 to 100). Over one-third of the respondents (39.3%, n = 118) reported no difficulty in any activity and only 5% (n = 15) reported an extreme difficulty or not able to do any activity for the past 30 days. While having a job negatively associated with disability (unstandardized B - 0.075, P = 0.007) and not attending school (unstandardized B 0.113, P = 0.020), number of admission (unstandardized B 0. 022, P = 0.033), and stigma (unstandardized B 0.008,P < 0.001) positively associated with disability score. Conclusions: The median score of disability of the respondents was 11.1 (within the ranges from 0 to 100), and most of the patients had no disability. Occupational status, educational status, number of admissions, and stigma were independent predictors of disability among mentally ill patients.