Public beliefs about causes and risk factors for mental disorders: a comparison of Japan and Australia

Yoshibumi Nakane,Kathleen M Griffiths,Helen Christensen,Anthony F Jorm,Kumiko Yoshioka,Hideyuki Nakane

doi:10.1186/1471-244x-5-33

Abstract

BackgroundSurveys of the public in a range of Western countries have shown a predominant belief in social stressors as causes of mental disorders. However, there has been little direct cross-cultural comparison. Here we report a comparison of public beliefs about the causes of mental disorders in Japan and Australia.MethodsSurveys of the public were carried out in each country using as similar a methodology as feasible. In both countries, household interviews were carried out concerning beliefs about causes and risk factors in relation to one of four case vignettes, describing either depression, depression with suicidal thoughts, early schizophrenia or chronic schizophrenia. In Japan, the survey involved 2000 adults aged between 20 and 69 from 25 regional sites spread across the country. In Australia, the survey involved a national sample of 3998 adults aged 18 years or over.ResultsIn both countries, both social and personal vulnerability causes were commonly endorsed across all vignettes. The major differences in causal beliefs were that Australians were more likely to believe in infection, allergy and genetics, while Japanese were more likely to endorse "nervous person" and "weakness of character". For risk factors, Australians tended to believe that women, the young and the poor were more at risk of depression, but these were not seen as higher risk groups by Japanese.ConclusionIn both Japan and Australia, the public has a predominant belief in social causes and risk factors, with personal vulnerability factors also seen as important. However, there are also some major differences between the countries. The belief in weakness of character as a cause, which was stronger in Japan, is of particular concern because it may reduce the likelihood of seeking professional help and support from others.

Highlights

Surveys of the public in a range of Western countries have shown a predominant belief in social stressors as causes of mental disorders
Studies from Australia, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, UK and USA have found that social factors were most often seen as the causes of depression [1,2,3,4,5,6], whereas genetic factors were much less frequently endorsed [14,6]
Comparing the Australian sample to the national population, there was an under-representation of males and of younger adults, but the sample was close to the population in marital status, country of birth and education

Summary

Introduction

Surveys of the public in a range of Western countries have shown a predominant belief in social stressors as causes of mental disorders. Studies from Australia, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, UK and USA have found that social factors were most often seen as the causes of depression [1,2,3,4,5,6], whereas genetic factors were much less frequently endorsed [14,6]. While genetic factors are more often seen as a cause for schizophrenia than depression, they are still endorsed much less frequently than social factors [3,6]. Social factors covered in these surveys included stressful life events, traumatic experiences, family problems, and social disadvantage

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion