Abstract
Aims and methodTackling discrimination, stigma and inequalities in mental health is a major objective of the UK government. The project aimed to determine the effect of presenting a person with a mental illness as having either a biological illness or a disorder that arose from psychosocial stress to a randomised representative panel of members of the general public. The 20-point Attitude to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) was used to assess stigmatised attitudes.ResultsOverall, 187 individuals returned their questionnaires (74% response rate). The mean AMIQ stigma score for the ‘ill’ group was 1.4 (s.e. = 0.3; n = 94). The mean AMIQ score for the ‘stress’ group was 0.5 (s.e. = 0.3; median n = 106; P = 0.0837, median difference = 1; power (for 5% significance) 81%).Clinical implicationsThere was no difference in the stigmatised attitudes towards a person with mental illness regardless of whether they were presented as biologically ill or as having an illness that was a response to psychosocial stress.
Highlights
There was no significant difference in the Attitude to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) stigma scores between the vignettes that presented the person as biologically ill or stressed (twosided P = 0.0837; power = 81%)
The report shows that there was no statistical difference between stigmatised attitudes towards a person with a mental illness whether he was presented as ill or stressed
The medial difference of 1 unit is unlikely to be of any practical significance as, in practice, the AMIQ scores range from 75 to +5 and a difference of less than 10% is unlikely to be meaningful.[2]
Summary
We received questionnaires from 187 individuals (response rate 74%). Both groups were closely comparable on demographic data. For the ‘ill’ group (n = 94), the mean age was 51 years = 1.8), 46% were male and 59% in paid employment. For the ‘stress’ group (n = 106), the mean age was 54 years = 1.5), 40% were male and 56% in paid. The mean AMIQ stigma score for the ‘ill’ group was 1.4 The mean AMIQ score for the ‘stress’ group was 0.5 There was no significant difference in the AMIQ stigma scores between the vignettes that presented the person as biologically ill or stressed (twosided P = 0.0837; power (for 5% significance) = 81%). The proportion of those who endorsed ‘chemical imbalance in the brain’ fell from 41 to 11%
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