IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/osf/socarx/esdjx_v1.html

The hidden burden: Mental health among people affected by neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria

Author

Listed:
  • Abioye, Ruth
  • Oladapo, Rasaq Kayode
  • Olaoyo, Michael Olawale
  • Akpan, Usoro
  • Afolabi, Oluwatosin Rachael

Abstract

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect over one billion people globally, disproportionately impacting populations in low-resource settings such as Nigeria. While the physical consequences of NTDs are well documented, their mental health burden remains under-recognised and insufficiently integrated into policy and practice. Individuals affected by NTDs frequently experience depression, anxiety, stigma, and reduced quality of life, driven by interconnected pathways including disability, social exclusion, poverty, and cultural interpretations of disease. Current burden estimation frameworks often fail to capture these psychosocial dimensions, leading to underestimation of disease impact and misaligned health priorities. This Viewpoint argues for greater recognition of the mental health burden associated with NTDs and highlights the need for integrated, person-centred approaches to care. Addressing these gaps is essential for improving quality of life and strengthening progress toward NTD control and elimination.

Suggested Citation

  • Abioye, Ruth & Oladapo, Rasaq Kayode & Olaoyo, Michael Olawale & Akpan, Usoro & Afolabi, Oluwatosin Rachael, 2026. "The hidden burden: Mental health among people affected by neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria," SocArXiv esdjx_v1, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:esdjx_v1
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/esdjx_v1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://osf.io/download/69e8fcea11dc70644bb004d6/
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.31219/osf.io/esdjx_v1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:esdjx_v1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: OSF (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://arabixiv.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.