Evaluating community attitudes to people with schizophrenia and mental disorders using a case vignette method

Abstract

Utilizing the case vignette method, community attitudes about people with schizophrenia and mental disorders, and perceived causes of and images regarding schizophrenia were investigated. Participants comprised 1596 respondents living in the area covered by the K health center in N prefecture. The survey utilized the Mental Disorder Prejudice Scale, a case vignette, and other basic attributes. The case vignette survey yielded the following results: when asked about a landlord refusing to rent an apartment to the vignette subject, approximately 80% of respondents agreed with the landlord's decision. However, when asked about necessary conditions for the vignette subject to live in an apartment independently, only 2.4% of respondents chose 'difficult under any circumstance'. Approximately half of the respondents chose the following conditions: 'periodic visits to the hospital', 'availability of a system where people can discuss and address any problems that might arise' and 'attending a sheltered workshop or making attempts to rehabilitate'. Regarding acceptance as a neighbor after meeting the listed conditions, most respondents stated they would 'treat him just like any other neighbor' (47.3%), followed by 'help as much as possible in times of need' (36.3%). In other words, approximately 80.0% of respondents were willing to have the vignette subject as their neighbor. In addition, many respondents thought that schizophrenia is caused by problems in interpersonal relationships (64.8%) and represents an unstable disease (69.9%). When asked about having the subject as a neighbor, respondents were more willing to accept him as a neighbor after clarifying conditions for living arrangements.