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BMC Psychiatry
Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Central Nervous System Trauma | Research article

Prevalence and associated factors of mental disorders among prisoners in Mbarara municipality, southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Authors: Jimmy Ben Forry, Scholastic Ashaba, Godfrey Zari Rukundo

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Research in high income countries reports higher prevalence of mental disorders among prisoners than in the general population. Lack of published data from low resource settings affects planning and eventual service provision to the prisoners. This study aimed to determine the burden of mental disorders and associated factors among prisoners in Mbarara municipality in southwestern Uganda.

Methods

This was a prison facility based cross sectional study among 414 inmates in Mbarara municipality. We consecutively enrolled them by simple random sampling from 3 prison facilities. Participants completed a sociodemographic and clinical factor questionnaire, and the M.I.N.I. Version 6.0. Data were analyzed using STATA 12.0. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the prevalence, and associated factors using the individual odds ratios with their 95% Confidence Intervals and P-values as a measure of association, clinical and statistical significance respectively.

Results

A total of 354 (86%) prison-inmates met criteria for a psychiatric disorder. Of these, 338 (95%) had one or more diagnoses. Major depression was the most common diagnosis (44%). Factors associated with mental disorders included history of traumatic brain injury (OR = 2.57; 95% CI = 1.22–5.42; P-value = 0.01), low income status (OR = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.16–0.63; P-value = 0.001) and authoritarian parenting (OR = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.18–0.75; P-value = 0.006).

Conclusions

There is a high prevalence of psychiatric illness among prisoners in Mbarara municipality with most of them having more than one diagnosis. Majority of the prisoners with mental illness go undiagnosed and untreated.
Footnotes
1
Individual current diagnosis refers to a major primary psychiatric disorder diagnosed in a study participant at the time of administering and as determined by the responses to the M.I.N.I Version 6.0 regardless of the timing, duration, frequency, comorbidity or presence of other multiple diagnoses.
 
2
Parenting style refers to the type of upbringing that the participant underwent and this was assessed by asking the study participant to briefly describe the nature of interaction with their parents or guardians.
 
3
Past traumatic brain injury refers to a study participant reporting a history of head trauma associated with either loss of consciousness, nausea and/or vomiting, open wound, raccoon eyes, bleeding or discharge from the ears and/or nose.
 
4
Category of crime refers to the classification of the offense of which the study participant is alleged to have committed or is convicted of, as either violent, non-violent or drug-related, and this was assessed by asking the participant the nature of the offense of which he/she was accused.
 
5
Past psychological trauma refers to a study participant reporting a history of subjective or clinically significant distress that impaired their social or occupational functioning following witnessing or involvement in a physically or emotionally traumatic event but does not fulfill the DSM-IV-TR criteria for any mental disorder.
 
6
Available follow-up services refer to general and mental health services that are readily available and have been accessed by the study participants for follow-ups during incarceration as reported by the participant, and where they are found with options including prison-based outreach programs by non-prison health workers, the nearest regional referral hospital i.e. Mbarara, and the prison health facility.
 
7
Regular incarceration refers to the current living situation in prison as reported by the study participants that does not include solitary confinement or incarceration with hard labor.
 
8
Current episode refers to a study participant having psychiatric symptoms as determined by the responses to the queries in the M.I.N.I Version 6.0 and present at the time of administering the M.I.N.I that meet the diagnostic criterion for a particular psychiatric disorder as per DSM-IV-TR.
 
9
Past episode refers to a study participant having a history of psychiatric symptoms as determined by the responses to the queries in the M.I.N.I Version 6.0 and at the time of administering the M.I.N.I that meet the diagnostic criterion for a particular psychiatric disorder as per DSM-IV-TR.
 
10
Lifetime episode refers to a study participant having psychiatric symptoms at least once in their lifetime as determined by the responses to the queries in the M.I.N.I Version 6.0 and at the time of administering the M.I.N.I that meet the diagnostic criterion for a particular psychiatric disorder as per DSM-IV-TR.
 
11
Suicidality refers to the presence and severity of suicidal ideations, suicidal intent with or without an associated suicidal plan as well as suicidal attempts in a study participant within the past 1 month as determined by the responses to the queries in the M.I.N.I Version 6.0.
 
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Metadata
Title
Prevalence and associated factors of mental disorders among prisoners in Mbarara municipality, southwestern Uganda: a cross-sectional study
Authors
Jimmy Ben Forry
Scholastic Ashaba
Godfrey Zari Rukundo
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2167-7

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