Cultural response to mental illness in Senegal: reflections through patient companions--Part II. Statistical...

Patient records from the Thiaroye Psychiatric Hospital in Senegal were studied to see if analysis of patterns of persons accompanying patients to the hospital could help to portray the community's response to mental illness. A systematic sample of 935 records of initial out-patients visits were examined. Patterns of patient companionship were found to strongly correlate with specific patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Interpretation of these findings helped to clarify both prevailing attitudes toward the mentally ill and the social response and management of mental illness. The first article in this series presented the study setting, methods, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, and characteristics of patient companions. The current article examines the statistical associations of companion number, gender and kinship relationship with patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.