Abstract
BackgroundPeople with mental illness (PWMI) often suffer from public stigma, which can make them unwilling to seek help and reduce access to early treatment. The aims of this study were to determine attitudes towards PWMI among the general public in a Chinese sample and to explore the relationships with sociodemographic characteristics.MethodsA community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2019. The participants’ attitudes towards PWMI were evaluated by the Chinese version of the Social Distance Scale (SDSC). An independent-sample T-test and one-way ANOVA were used to determine the association of categorical variables with the outcome variable. Multiple linear regression and Spearman correlations were computed to explore the correlation between SDSC scores and individual-level socioeconomic status (SES).ResultsA total of 1437 participants were recruited, and their total SDSC score was 12.53 (SD: 3.11). Univariate analysis results showed that age, education level, educational attainment, and individual-level SES as well as whether they were caregivers/family members of PWMI were correlated with SDSC scores. The results of regression analysis showed a significant effect caused by contact or familiarity with PWMI (B = -1.134, β = -.190, P < 0.001), as well as for individual-level SES (B = -.339, β = -.110, P < 0.001). Spearman correlation results showed that SDSC scores were negatively correlated with individual-level SES (r = -.078, p < 0.01) and contact or familiarity with PWMI (r = -.168, p < 0.001).ConclusionThis study reveals that public stigma towards PWMI is common in Southwest China. Individuals who are not a family member or a caregiver of PWMI or have low education level or low individual-level SES need to be provided more anti-stigma interventions. Contacting with PWMI is also a potentially beneficial measure to reduce social distance.
Highlights
People with mental illness (PWMI) often suffer from public stigma, which can make them unwilling to seek help and reduce access to early treatment
Scores indicating social distance between the general public and PWMI The results suggested that social distance from PWMI was greater than the social distance found for Fukuoka participants (10.53 ± 3.44) in Japan [39]
The findings enhance the literature on public attitudes towards PWMI and highlight the importance of understanding these issues in mainland China
Summary
People with mental illness (PWMI) often suffer from public stigma, which can make them unwilling to seek help and reduce access to early treatment. Public stigma towards people with mental illness (PWMI) is harsh and widespread throughout the world [1,2,3], and this stigma is a significant barrier to recovery for PWMI. Public stigma may affect the willingness to seek help [4, 5], reduce access to early treatment [6], and have a negative impact on work, personal relationships and even marriage [7, 8]. Public stigma affects individuals and entire families, as the family members of PWMI may experience discrimination and stigma [12,13,14], which are associated with their self-esteem and caregiver burden. It is very important to focus on public attitudes towards PWMI
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
