A descriptive study to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab with a view to develop an information booklet
Pratima Thakur, Sonia Sharma
Mental Health Nursing, Mata Sahib Kaur College Balongi, Mohali, Punjab
*Corresponding Author Email: pratimathakur619@gmail.com
ABSTRACT:
This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab with a view to develop an information booklet. A quantitative research approach with descriptive research design was adopted. 200 adults were selected using convenient sampling technique. Result showed that 68.5% adults were having average knowledge, 25.5% had good knowledge and 6.0% had poor knowledge. regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine. Moreover, 84.5% adults were having neutral attitude, 15% had positive attitude and 0.5% had negative attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine. There was a weak positive correlation between knowledge and attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine (r=0.154). There was a significant association of knowledge with age and no association was found between attitude and selected socio-demographic variables.
KEYWORDS: Adults, Knowledge, Attitude, Complementary and alternative system of medicine.
INTRODUCTION:
Today, there are a wide range of interventions available to help people to stay healthy physically and mentally. Complementary and alternative medicine is popular for health and wellness therapies that are not a part of conventional medicine system. Complementary suggests that treatments that are used along with conventional medicine. Alternative is the treatments that are used in place of conventional medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine focuses on the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.1
Many patients suffering from mood disorders such as depression go for alternative treatments such as homeopathy, yoga or Ayuverda. Alternative therapies are good solution for mental health patients for which conventional medicine shown poor results. When used complementary and alternative medicine used together accordingly, the two can give good results. Consumers are becoming increasingly educated and are actively moving towards a holistic approach to health care.2
NEED FOR THE STUDY:
A study was conducted to examine the relationship between mental disorders and the use of complementary and alternative medicine from a household telephone Survey, Structured diagnostic screening interviews were used to establish diagnoses of probable mental disorders. Use of complementary and alternative system of medicine was 16.5 % of the respondents. Of those 21.3 % met diagnostic criteria for one or more mental disorders, compared to 12.8 % of respondents who did not report use of alternative medicine. The study concludes that More research is needed to determine individuals with mental disorders use of alternative medicine.3
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
A descriptive study to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab with a view to develop an information booklet.
OBJECTIVES:
● To assess the knowledge regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
● To assess the attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
● To find the correlation between knowledge score and attitude score of adults regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
● To find out association between research findings with selected sociodemographic variables.
● To develop and administer information booklet on selected complementary and alternative system of medicine among adults in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS:
● Knowledge: Knowledge refers to the awareness regarding complementary and alternative system of medicine and is assessed by the response to items of the structured questionnaire.
● Attitude: Attitude refers to the opinion of adults regarding complementary and alternative system of medicine and is assessed by structured rating scale.
● Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A range of selected treatments which can be used in combination with routine hospital care to mental illness such as yoga, meditation, ayurveda, homeopathy.
● Mental illness: Mental illness refers to a clinically significant condition characterized by alternation in person thinking, mood, and behavior causing personal, social and occupational distress.
● Adults: It refers to an individual who is fully developed and mature with age of 18-58years in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
● Information Booklet: It refers to written self-learning materials of complementary and alternative system of medicine used in mental illness and prepared in simple language with attractive pictures.
ASSUMPTIONS:
It assumed that:
● adults had some knowledge about selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness.
● adults had neutral attitude towards selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness.
DELIMITATIONS:
The present study was delimited to:
● adults from selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
● selected complementary and alternative system of medicine such as yoga, meditation, ayurveda, homeopathy.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
Islahudin F, Shahdan IA, Mohamad-Samuri S. 2017 conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the belief and attitude regarding preference towards complementary and alternative medicine use among the Malaysian population by using a questionnaire-based. A large majority of the 1,009 respondents admitted to taking at least one type of complementary and alternative medicine (n=730, 72.3%). Only 20 (1.9%) respondents were found to have negative beliefs (total score <35), 4 (0.4%) respondents had neutral beliefs (total score =35), and 985 (97.6%) respondents had positive belief towards complementary and alternative medicine (total score >36). A total of 507 (50.2%) respondents were categorized as having a negative complementary and alternative medicine attitude, while 502 (49.8%) respondents were categorized as having a positive complementary and alternative medicine attitude. Therefore, the higher the belief in complementary and alternative medicine, the more positive the attitude was towards complementary and alternative medicine.4
Debrah AB, Buabeng KO, Donnir G, Kretchy IA. 2019 conducted a qualitative study and involved both clinical and family caregivers of patients with psychiatric disorders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted over a period of 3 months to know the pattern of complementary and alternative medicine use and perceived outcome from caregiver perspectives. About 92% of family caregivers reported that their patients had used complementary and alternative therapies. The therapies used for interventions were spiritual (100%) herbal therapies (83%), dietary supplements (50%) and music therapies (6%). Both negative and positive outcomes of complementary and alternative therapies were highlighted by caregivers.5
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
Research Design:
A descriptive non-experimental research design.
Setting of the Study:
The study was conducted in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
Target Population:
The target population of the study were the adults (18-58 years).
Sample and Sampling Technique:
The sample consisted of 200 adults was selected by using non-probability convenient sampling technique.
Inclusion Criteria:
The study includes the adults who were:
1. available at the time of data collection.
2. able to speak and understand English, Hindi and Punjabi.
Exclusion Criteria:
The study excludes the adults who:
1. were not willing to participate in the study.
2. were mentally challenged.
Description of Tool:
It consists of the following sections:
Section A: Socio-Demographic Variables
This section consisted of 7 socio-demographic variables which give baseline information such as age (in years), gender, religion, educational status, marital status, occupational status, previous information and source of information regarding complementary and alternative system of medicine of adults.
Section B: Structured questionnaire to assess the knowledge
This section consisted of 20 items which were divided into mental illness, yoga, meditation, ayurveda, homeopathy to assess the knowledge among adults regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine.
Section C: Structured rating scale to assess the attitude
Rating scale consisted of 30 items which were divided into mental illness, yoga, meditation, ayurveda, homeopathy to assess the attitude of adults regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine.
Plan of Data Analysis:
The data was collected, organized, tabulated and analysed by descriptive statistics such as mean, median, frequency, percentage, standard deviation and inferential statistics such as chi-square and Karl Pearson Correlation Coefficient on the basis of the objectives of the study was used for findings.
RESULTS:
Table 1: Frequency and percentage distribution of selected socio-demographic variables of adults. N=200
|
S. No. |
Socio-demographic variables |
Frequency (f) |
Percentage (%) |
|
1. |
Age (in years) |
||
|
18-28 |
76 |
38.0 |
|
|
29-38 |
58 |
29.0 |
|
|
39-48 |
42 |
21.0 |
|
|
49-58 |
24 |
12.0 |
|
|
2.
|
Gender |
||
|
Male |
97 |
48.5 |
|
|
Female |
103 |
51.5 |
|
|
Transgender |
00 |
0.0 |
|
|
3. |
Religion |
||
|
Hindu |
117 |
58.5 |
|
|
Sikh |
80 |
40.0 |
|
|
Muslim |
00 |
0.0 |
|
|
Christian |
03 |
1.5 |
|
|
If any other, specify |
00 |
0.0 |
|
|
4. |
Educational Status |
||
|
No formal education |
03 |
1.5 |
|
|
Up to primary level |
12 |
6 |
|
|
Up to secondary level |
36 |
17.5 |
|
|
Up to higher secondary level |
76 |
38.0 |
|
|
Graduate and above |
73 |
36.5 |
|
|
5. |
Marital Status |
||
|
Unmarried |
81 |
40.5 |
|
|
Married |
109 |
54.5 |
|
|
Divorced/Separated |
05 |
2.5 |
|
|
Widow/Widower |
05 |
2.5 |
|
|
6 |
Occupational Status |
||
|
Home maker |
57 |
28.5 |
|
|
Government employee |
21 |
10.5 |
|
|
Semi-Government employee |
18 |
9.0 |
|
|
Private employee |
41 |
20.5 |
|
|
Self-employed |
38 |
19.0 |
|
|
Unemployed |
25 |
12.5 |
|
|
7 |
Previous Information |
||
|
Yes |
101 |
50.5 |
|
|
No |
99 |
49.5 |
|
|
7.1 |
Source of information |
||
|
Relatives/friends |
30 |
15.0 |
|
|
Mass media (Television, Internet) |
57 |
28.5 |
|
|
Health professionals |
11 |
5.5 |
|
|
If any other, specify |
0 |
0.0 |
|
Table 2: Level of knowledge regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults .
N=200
|
Level of Knowledge |
Score |
Frequency (f) |
Percentage (%) |
Mean |
Median |
SD |
|
Poor |
0-6 |
12 |
6.0% |
11.36 |
11.00 |
2.90 |
|
Average |
7-13 |
137 |
68.5% |
|||
|
Good |
14-20 |
51 |
25.5% |
Table 3: Attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults. N=200
|
Attitude |
Score |
Frequency |
Percentage (%) |
Mean |
Median |
SD |
|
Negative |
31-70 |
1 |
0.5% |
96.3 |
94.0 |
11.4 |
|
Neutral |
71-110 |
169 |
84.5% |
|||
|
Positive |
111-150 |
30 |
15% |
Table 2: depicts that level of knowledge according to knowledge score among adults. The majority of adults i.e. 68.5% had average knowledge, 25.5% had good knowledge and 6.0% had poor knowledge regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults.
Table 3: depicts that majority 84.5% adults had neutral attitude, 15% had positive attitude and 0.5% had negative attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative medicine in mental illness among adults.
Table 4: depicts that weak positive correlation i.e. between knowledge and attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine among adults in mental illness by using Karl Pearson correlation formula (r = 0.154).
Fig. 1: Pie diagram showing percentage distribution of adults to level of knowledge score regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults.
Fig. 2: Pie diagram showing percentage distribution of adults according to attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults.
Table 4: Correlation between knowledge and attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness. N=200
|
S. NO. |
Research Variables |
Mean |
Standard Deviation |
Karl Pearson Correlation |
Inferences |
|
1. |
Knowledge |
11.36 |
2.9 |
0.154 |
Weak positive correlation
|
|
2. |
Attitude |
96.3 |
11.4 |
p<0.05
Table 5: Association of knowledge regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness with selected socio-demographic variables. N=200
|
S.NO. |
Socio-demographic variables |
Level of Knowledge |
χ2, df, p-value |
||
|
Poor n1=12 |
Average n2=137 |
Good n3=51 |
|||
|
1. |
Age (in years) |
||||
|
18-28 |
4 |
53 |
19 |
13.574, 6, 0.035* |
|
|
29-38 |
7 |
35 |
16 |
||
|
38-48 |
1 |
32 |
9 |
||
|
48-58 |
0 |
17 |
7 |
||
|
2. |
Gender |
||||
|
Male |
4 |
66 |
27 |
1.370, 4, 9.488NS |
|
|
Female |
8 |
71 |
24 |
||
|
Transgender |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
3. |
Religion |
||||
|
Hindu |
7 |
78 |
32 |
1.276, 4, 0.865NS |
|
|
Sikh |
5 |
56 |
19 |
||
|
Muslim |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
Christian |
0 |
3 |
0 |
||
|
If any other, specify |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
4. |
Educational Status |
||||
|
No formal education |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1.182, 8, 0.997NS |
|
|
Up to primary level |
1 |
10 |
1 |
||
|
Up to secondary level |
2 |
26 |
8 |
||
|
Up to higher secondary level |
5 |
45 |
26 |
||
|
Graduate and above |
4 |
53 |
16 |
||
|
5. |
Marital Status |
||||
|
Unmarried |
3 |
54 |
24 |
4.917, 6, 0.554NS |
|
|
Married |
7 |
76 |
26 |
||
|
Divorced/Separated |
0 |
4 |
1 |
||
|
Widow/Widower |
2 |
3 |
0 |
||
|
6. |
Occupational Status |
||||
|
Home maker |
3 |
38 |
16 |
11.601, 10, 0.313NS |
|
|
Government employee |
0 |
18 |
3 |
||
|
Semi-Government employee |
2 |
14 |
2 |
||
|
Private employee |
1 |
22 |
18 |
||
|
Self-employed |
3 |
27 |
8 |
||
|
Unemployed |
3 |
18 |
4 |
||
|
7. |
Previous Information |
|
|||
|
Yes |
4 |
70 |
27 |
2.814, 2, 0.245NS |
|
|
No |
8 |
67 |
24 |
||
|
7.1 |
Source of Information |
||||
|
Relatives/friends |
2 |
20 |
8 |
2.178, 4, 0.703NS |
|
|
Mass media (Television, Internet) |
1 |
40 |
16 |
||
|
Health professionals |
1 |
8 |
2 |
||
|
If any other, specify |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
NS-Not Significant *- Significant at p<0.05
Table 5: depicts that there was a significant association of knowledge with age at p-value <0.05.
Moreover, there was no significant association of knowledge with gender, religion, educational status, marital status, occupational status, previous information and source of information.
Table 6: Association of attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness with selected socio-demographic variables. N=200
|
S.NO. |
Socio-demographic variables |
|
Attitude |
χ2, df, p-value |
|
|
Negative n1=1 |
Neutral n2=169 |
Positive n3=30 |
|||
|
1. |
Age (in years) |
||||
|
18-28 |
0 |
64 |
12 |
9.453, 6, 0.150NS |
|
|
29-38 |
0 |
51 |
7 |
||
|
38-48 |
0 |
34 |
8 |
||
|
48-58 |
1 |
20 |
3 |
||
|
2.
|
Gender |
||||
|
Male |
1 |
81 |
15 |
1.655, 4, 0.799NS |
|
|
Female |
0 |
88 |
15 |
||
|
Transgender |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
3. |
Religion |
||||
|
Hindu |
0 |
97 |
20 |
2.376, 4, 0.667NS |
|
|
Sikh |
1 |
69 |
10 |
||
|
Muslim |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
Christian |
0 |
3 |
0 |
||
|
If any other, specify |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
|
4. |
Educational Status |
||||
|
No formal education |
0 |
3 |
0 |
4.935, 8, 0.764NS |
|
|
Up to primary level |
0 |
10 |
2 |
||
|
Up to secondary level |
0 |
33 |
3 |
||
|
Up to higher secondary level |
0 |
66 |
10 |
||
|
Graduate and above |
1 |
57 |
15 |
||
|
5. |
Marital Status |
||||
|
Unmarried |
0 |
72 |
9 |
1.603, 6, 0.952NS |
|
|
Married |
1 |
89 |
19 |
||
|
Divorced/Separated |
0 |
4 |
1 |
||
|
Widow/Widower |
0 |
4 |
1 |
||
|
6 |
Occupational Status |
||||
|
Home maker |
0 |
50 |
7 |
6.528, 10, 0.769NS |
|
|
Government employee |
0 |
17 |
4 |
||
|
Semi-Government employee |
0 |
15 |
3 |
||
|
Private employee |
0 |
33 |
8 |
||
|
Self-employed |
1 |
33 |
4 |
||
|
Unemployed |
0 |
21 |
4 |
||
|
7 |
Previous Information |
||||
|
Yes |
1 |
87 |
13 |
1.740, 2, 0.419NS |
|
|
No |
0 |
82 |
17 |
||
|
7.1 |
Source of information |
||||
|
Relatives/friends |
1 |
24 |
5 |
2.425, 4, 0.658NS |
|
|
Mass media (Television, Internet) |
0 |
50 |
7 |
||
|
Health professionals |
0 |
10 |
1 |
||
|
If any other, specify |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||
NS-Not Significant *-Significant at p<0.05
Table 6: depicts there was no significant association of attitude with age, gender, religion, educational status, marital status, occupational status, previous information and source of information.
DISCUSSION:
Objective 1: To assess the knowledge regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
Objective 2: To assess the attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness among adults in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
In present study it was found that, most of the adults i.e. 169 having neutral attitude. Similar study conducted by Nataraj S. 2013 showed that adults had favorable attitude towards complementary and alternative medicine.8
Objective 3: To find the correlation between knowledge score and attitude score of adults regarding selected complementary and alternative system of medicine in mental illness in selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab.
In present study, it was found that there was weak positive correlation between knowledge and attitude when Karl Pearson correlation formula was used (r=0.154). Similar study conducted by Sasagawa M, Martzen MR. 2008 showed that adults had positive correlation between knowledge and attitude score regarding complementary and alternative system of medicine.9
Objective 4: To find out association between research findings with selected socio-demographic variables.
In present study significant association was found between level of knowledge of adults regarding selected complementary and alternative medicine in mental illness with age of adults. Similar study conducted by Agbaje EO, Babatunde EO. 2010 showed that significant association between level of knowledge with age and educational background.10
In present study, no significant association was found between level of attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative medicine in mental illness and socio-demographic variables. Similar study conducted by Alzahrami SH, Bashawri J. 2016 showed that no significant association was found between level of attitude with gender.11
CONCLUSION:
From the findings, present study concluded that adults were having average knowledge and neutral attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative medicine in mental illness. There was weak positive correlation between knowledge and attitude regarding selected complementary and alternative medicine in mental illness. There was significant association of knowledge with age. There was no-significant association of attitude with socio-demographic variables.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
I am grateful to Almighty God and my parents Mr. Parmod Singh and Mrs. Parveen, who support me, uplift me.
I am deeply thankful to my sister Ms. Shivani and my fiancée Mr. Vivek Thakur to rejuvenated my energy and all dreams that I ever aspired for myself.
ETHICAL CONSIDERATION:
● Formal written permission for research study was taken from Principal and ethical and research committee of Mata Sahib Kaur College of Nursing, Mohali.
● Formal written Permission was taken from Sarpanch of the selected areas of district Mohali, Punjab to conduct the study.
● Researcher explained the purpose of the study to the subjects and had taken written consent for their participation in the study.
● Confidentiality on information of all respondents was maintained.
REFERENCES:
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11. Agbaje EO, Babatunde EO. A KAP study of the attitude and practice of traditional medicine in a contemporary Nigerian community. Cent Afr J Med. 2005 Jun;51(5–6):58–62. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/17432433/
Received on 09.10.2019 Modified on 29.11.2019
Accepted on 25.12.2019 ©A&V Publications All right reserved
Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2020; 10(2): 130-136.
DOI: 10.5958/2349-2996.2020.00029.4