Original Research Article
Year: 2018 | Month: May | Volume: 8 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 1-7
Level and Pattern of Social Support System Available to In-Patients with Protracted Illnesses in Jos University Teaching Hospital, Plateau State North Central Nigeria
Zuwaira I Hassan1,3*, Tolulope O Afolaranmi1,3, Ofagbor L Ojone2, Oloriegbe A Damilola2, Olelewe C Amarachi2, Aisha Y Armiya’u4, Oluwabunmi O Chirdan1,3
1Department of Community Medicine, University of Jos. Jos, Plateau State Nigeria
2Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos, Jos Plateau State, Plateau State Nigeria
3Department of Community Medicine, Jos University of Teaching Hospital Jos, Plateau State Nigeria
4Department of Psychiatry, Jos University of Teaching Hospital Jos, Plateau State Nigeria
Corresponding Author: Zuwaira I Hassan
ABSTRACT
Background: Social support is a complex, transactional, multifaceted communicative processes that aims at improving individual’s feelings of coping, compliance, belonging and esteem when in need. In most developing countries like Nigeria, the role of social support systems in the long term management of chronic illness has been grossly over-looked with focus directed towards medical and pharmacotherapy mostly. In this light, this study was undertaken to determine the level and pattern of social support available to in-patients with protracted illness in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).
Methodology: This was a cross sectional study conducted among 206 in-patents with protracted illness using quantitative method of data collection. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis while adjusted odds ratio as well as 95% confidence interval were used in this study as point and interval estimates respectively with a p-value of ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of the respondents in the study was 46.2 ± 10.7 years with less than half (42.2%) being females. Adequate level of overall social support was received by 107 (51.9%) of the respondents with a mean score of 74.2 ± 10.4 out 72 while level of education, current employment status and medical related conditions were found to significantly influence the receipt of adequate social support.
Conclusion: The study has revealed the level overall of social support received by in-patients with protracted illness with employment status and medical related illness predicting receipt of adequate level of social support.
Key words: Social support system, protracted illness, In-patients