A qualitative insight on stereotypes and prejudices toward mental disorders in Burkina Faso: the interaction of shame and fear as underlying influences of stigma
Émilie Pigeon-Gagné, is a clinical and community psychologist, and assistant professor at the School of Psychology, University of Ottawa (Canada). Her work focuses on three themes: 1) processes of stigmatization, marginalization and social invisibilization, 2) sociocultural representations of mental health, and 3) precarious and irregular migration in Canada. She works with a range of qualitative, ethnographic and participatory methodologies, from a liberation approach in community psychology.
Thomas Delaware-Saias, is a researcher and full professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université du Québec à Montréal (Canada), and director of the Epione laboratory. His expertise lies at the crossroads between perinatal care/parenting, social and gender inequalities in early childhood, and program evaluation. He works in the field of critical community psychology and is interested in the development of feminist and anti-oppressive public policies in the field of perinatal care and early childhood.
Maurice Yaogo, is a socio-anthropologist and professor at the Université de I’Afrique de I’Ouest (Burkina Faso). For some thirty years, he has been carrying out socio-anthropological studies in the West African region, and more specifically in Burkina Faso. His work focuses on social representations of disease, therapeutic itineraries and healthcare utilization, the valorization of traditional knowledge and medicines, and the development of public policies in the field of communicable and non-communicable diseases. He is currently coordinating the STOP-NCD project in Burkina Faso.
Ghayda Hassan, is a clinical psychologist and full professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université du Québec à Montréal (Canada), and Director of the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Violent Extremism (CPN-PREV). Her expertise is in transcultural psychology; her clinical and research involvement is in the prevention of violent radicalization. Her work aims to support practice settings in their interventions and the implementation of prevention programs, as well as decision-makers in the development of public policies promoting social inclusion and the reduction of social inequalities and their impact on violent extremism.
Djeneba Ouedraogo, is a sociologist with some twenty years' research experience. She has taken part in dozens of socio-anthropological surveys and specializes in qualitative data collection and analysis, as well as interpreting from a perspective rooted in traditional knowledge. Her involvement with the Centre de recherche AfricSanté, among others, has led her to collaborate on numerous projects and refine her field approach.
Background: Worldwide, stigma is recognized as a barrier limiting access to psychiatric care. The scope of the stigma varies across cultural contexts and contributes to the social inequalities in health observed in many low- and middle-income countries.
Aim and methods: In this paper, we explore the way mental disorders are stigmatized in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso). We conducted 7 focus groups and 25 individual interviews with patients, family members, caregivers, and key informants. Interviews focused on stereotypes and attitudes toward individuals identified with mental disorders.
Results: A set of stereotypes is socially conveyed about people with mental disorders. The perceptions that these individuals are fragile, useless, dangerous, marginal, and adopt strange behaviors are common. These stereotypes could be related to emotional reactions, such as sadness, compassion, indifference, fear, disgust, and shame that justify, in some cases, discrimination and unequal treatments.
Discussion: This study suggests that affective reactions are crucial to understand stigma in Burkina Faso. The notion of shame seems to be rooted in a set of cultural norms and values, and fear seems to be related to structural stigma. Our results offer some insights for future anti-stigma programs in a context where resources are limited and where cultural characteristics must be considered.