PERCEPTION AND ATTITUDE OF NIGERIAN BAPTIST CLERGYMEN

The general purpose is to investigate the response of pastors in the Baptist church to the care and stigmatization of mental illness and find ways they could be of great support for them. The cross sectional descriptive survey research was adopted and used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to enrich the investigation, analysis and interpretation. The sample population was two hundred of the student population with variation across all the cadres of the students represented in the sample with one hundred and forty – eight questionnaires returned. A specialized screening instrument for assessing attitudes of community to mental illness, CAMI, was used which has been previously used in this environment. Key informant interviews and focus group discussions were held to generate qualitative data. The quantitative data was analyzed by using the SPSS model while the ground theory was applied in analyzing and transcripting the qualitative data obtained from interviews. Pastors by invoking the theological principles of redemption should banish discrimination against mental illness and rally support for them.