Abstract:

Evidence has shown that socioeconomic inequalities are an important topic in politics, social sciences and public health research. The common trend is that individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds are often deprived of essential commodities, in the form of service, that are critical to their wellbeing. Nonetheless, little but surely, these deprivations result in affecting the psychological health of the victims and ultimately may end up causing mental dysfunction. It is against such hypothesis that many scholars have established the link of SES as being a powerful risk factor of mental illness. In light of the above, this study aimed at exploring the association of SES, home environment, HIV/AIDS and mental illness. A more specific approach was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and care practices of health workers on mental Health Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

A mixed method approach was used to carry out this investigation, however, much embedded on the qualitative approached. The study collected primary data study participants through the use of a semi-structured interview guide. The study participants included Nurses and Clinical Officers in Health Centres in Lusaka urban and rural, as well as relatives of the mental health patients. Consent was sought from the ministry of health to conduct the study and all study participants were consented before participating in the study.

The study revealed that health workers had adequate knowledge on HIV/AIDS; however, there was evidence on negligence in provision of health care towards mental persons living with HIV/AIDS. Despite a lot of health care reporting to have had training on care for HIV/AID persons (90%), the findings revealed that some of them had a negative attitude towards caring for persons living with HIV/AIDS and this affects the quality of care. This study provides strong evidence that SES impacts the development of mental illness directly, as well as indirectly through its association with adverse economic stressful conditions among lower income groups.

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