STIGMA IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER This question sought to tease out the practical limitations to accessing helping services versus those rooted in beliefs. Interestingly and shockingly fear of being judged by others (stigma) provided an enormous barrier to accessing services with 71.6% of respondents rating it as a “big barrier”. Cultural or religious factors were cited as a “big barrier” according to (43,2%) of respondents. Financial constraints, lack of information about available services, distance to services, safety concerns and childcare concerns all rated as “big barriers” by 50% or more of the respondents, with fewer than 10% or respondents rating these as minor barriers. With stigma (or fear of judgement) outranking even safety considerations as the biggest barrier to help-seeking behaviour it becomes clear that mass production of helping professionals, without addressing stigma, will not effectively make psychosocial support more readily accessible to most people. Focus group participants flagged the influence of religious and cultural beliefs as a notable contributor to stigma. This is mirrored in the above statistical findings. Aggressive and expansive destigmatisation campaigns may be needed at community level and in partnership with local leaders and organisations, to address the critical undermining role being played by stigma.
RESEACH FINDINGS
MWI Field Research
79
November 2023 | Collective Action Magazine
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