Stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in China

© 2019 The Authors Objective: Understanding the general public's beliefs about depression is essential if public education and anti-stigma interventions are to be effective. This study aimed to examine Chinese respondents' personal attitudes towards depression and their perceptions about t...

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Main Authors: Fang Yang, Bing Xiang Yang, Teresa E. Stone, Xiao Qin Wang, Yang Zhou, Juan Zhang, Shu Fen Jiao
Format: Journal
Published: 2020
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http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/68496
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Institution: Chiang Mai University
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spelling th-cmuir.6653943832-684962020-04-02T15:30:23Z Stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in China Fang Yang Bing Xiang Yang Teresa E. Stone Xiao Qin Wang Yang Zhou Juan Zhang Shu Fen Jiao Medicine Psychology © 2019 The Authors Objective: Understanding the general public's beliefs about depression is essential if public education and anti-stigma interventions are to be effective. This study aimed to examine Chinese respondents' personal attitudes towards depression and their perceptions about the attitudes of others regarding depression and to identify the correlates of personal stigma and perceived stigma towards depression. Methods: A community survey was conducted among 1697 residents aged between 16 and 89 years of a large city in central China using the Depression Stigma Scale. Participants completed questionnaires assessing experiences of depression and family functioning. Results: Participants reported high levels of stigma towards depression, with greater perceived stigma than personal stigma. Increasing age was correlated with greater personal stigma and perceived stigma. Higher personal stigma was also significantly correlated with being male, unemployed and good family function. Conclusion: Concerningly high levels of stigmatizing beliefs towards depression were prevalent among the public. This may be a reason why people with mental disorders do not seek assistance. This highlights the importance of the need for health education and promotion activities. Findings from this study suggest that targeted, culturally appropriate education programs are needed to improve knowledge about depression in the broader community. 2020-04-02T15:28:29Z 2020-04-02T15:28:29Z 2020-02-01 Journal 15328384 0010440X 2-s2.0-85076159641 10.1016/j.comppsych.2019.152152 https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85076159641&origin=inward http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/68496
institution Chiang Mai University
building Chiang Mai University Library
country Thailand
collection CMU Intellectual Repository
topic Medicine
Psychology
spellingShingle Medicine
Psychology
Fang Yang
Bing Xiang Yang
Teresa E. Stone
Xiao Qin Wang
Yang Zhou
Juan Zhang
Shu Fen Jiao
Stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in China
description © 2019 The Authors Objective: Understanding the general public's beliefs about depression is essential if public education and anti-stigma interventions are to be effective. This study aimed to examine Chinese respondents' personal attitudes towards depression and their perceptions about the attitudes of others regarding depression and to identify the correlates of personal stigma and perceived stigma towards depression. Methods: A community survey was conducted among 1697 residents aged between 16 and 89 years of a large city in central China using the Depression Stigma Scale. Participants completed questionnaires assessing experiences of depression and family functioning. Results: Participants reported high levels of stigma towards depression, with greater perceived stigma than personal stigma. Increasing age was correlated with greater personal stigma and perceived stigma. Higher personal stigma was also significantly correlated with being male, unemployed and good family function. Conclusion: Concerningly high levels of stigmatizing beliefs towards depression were prevalent among the public. This may be a reason why people with mental disorders do not seek assistance. This highlights the importance of the need for health education and promotion activities. Findings from this study suggest that targeted, culturally appropriate education programs are needed to improve knowledge about depression in the broader community.
format Journal
author Fang Yang
Bing Xiang Yang
Teresa E. Stone
Xiao Qin Wang
Yang Zhou
Juan Zhang
Shu Fen Jiao
author_facet Fang Yang
Bing Xiang Yang
Teresa E. Stone
Xiao Qin Wang
Yang Zhou
Juan Zhang
Shu Fen Jiao
author_sort Fang Yang
title Stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in China
title_short Stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in China
title_full Stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in China
title_fullStr Stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in China
title_full_unstemmed Stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in China
title_sort stigma towards depression in a community-based sample in china
publishDate 2020
url https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85076159641&origin=inward
http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/68496
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