Mental Health Stigma and Treatment-Seeking Attitudes Among Adults in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria

Mental health stigma represents one of the most significant barriers to treatment-seeking in Nigeria, and its influence in predominantly Muslim communities of North West states such as Sokoto, where mental illness is often attributed to spiritual causes, has important clinical and public health implications. This study examines mental health stigma and treatment-seeking attitudes among adults in Sokoto State. A descriptive cross-sectional survey is applied to 300 adults aged 18 to 60 years recruited through multistage sampling from two urban and two rural communities. The Stigma Scale for Receiving Psychological Help and the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale are administered in Hausa alongside a questionnaire capturing education, religiosity, prior mental illness exposure, and community of residence. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and regression are computed in SPSS. Available community psychology literature from North West Nigeria identifies personalised stigma and disclosure concerns as the primary stigma deterrents to help-seeking, with rural community members, males, and those with lower education showing the strongest stigma-related treatment avoidance. The Stigma Attribution Model by Link and the Theory of Planned Behaviour provide the theoretical reference. Findings will inform public mental health education campaigns and traditional/religious leader engagement strategies for the Sokoto State Ministry of Health. Keywords: mental health stigma, treatment-seeking, attitudes, Sokoto State, North West Nigeria.