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Cited by 428Mental Health Treatment and AccessPsychology and Mental HealthGender Roles and Identity Studies

Stigma in response to mental disorders: a comparison of Australia and Japan

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Griffiths, Kathleen M, Nakane, Yoshibumi, Christensen, Helen, Yoshioka, Kumiko, Jorm, Anthony F, Nakane, Hideyuki·2006·BMC Psychiatry
DOI 10.1186/1471-244x-6-21PMC PMC1525161
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Abstract

Background: There are few national or cross-cultural studies of the stigma associated with mental disorders. Australia and Japan have different systems of psychiatric health care, and distinct differences in cultural values, but enjoy similar standards of living. This study seeks to compare the nature and extent of stigma among the public in the two countries. Methods: A household survey of the public was conducted in each country using similar methodologies. The Australian study comprised a national survey of 3998 adults aged over 18 years. The Japanese survey involved 2000 adults aged 20 to 69 from 25 regional sites distributed across the country. Interviewees reported their personal attitudes (personal stigma, social distance) and perceptions of the attitudes of others (perceived stigma, perceived discrimination) in the community with respect to four case vignettes. These vignettes described a person with: depression; depression with suicidal ideation; early schizophrenia; and chronic schizophrenia. Results: Personal stigma and social distance were typically greater among the Japanese than the Australian public whereas the reverse was true with respect to the perception of the attitudes and discriminatory behaviour of others. In both countries, personal stigma was significantly greater than perceived stigma. The public in both countries showed evidence of greater social distance, greater personal stigma and greater perceived stigma for schizophrenia (particularly in its chronic form) than for depression. There was little evidence of a difference in stigma for depression with and without suicide for either country. However, social distance was greater for chronic compared to early schizophrenia for the Australian public. Conclusion: Stigmatising attitudes were common in both countries, but negative attitudes were greater among the Japanese than the Australian public. The results suggest that there is a need to implement national public awareness interventions tailored to the needs of each country. The current results provide a baseline for future tracking of national stigma levels in each country.

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Authors
Griffiths, K. M., Nakane, Y., Christensen, H., Yoshioka, K., Jorm, A. F., & Nakane, H.
Affiliations
  • Australian National University (AU)
  • Nagasaki International University (JP)
  • The University of Melbourne (AU)
  • Nagasaki University (JP)
Corresponding author
Griffiths, Kathleen M
ORCID
Venue
BMC Psychiatry
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2006-05-23
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages
21-21
ISSN
1471-244X (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1471-244x-6-21
PMC
PMC1525161
OpenAlex
W1589737305
Cited by
428
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 30 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 24 · 2012: 27
FWCI
17.69
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychology and Mental Health
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
Keywords
mental health stigma, personal stigma, perceived stigma, social distance, perceived discrimination, cross-cultural comparison, Australia, Japan, depression, schizophrenia, suicidal ideation, public attitudes, stigma reduction interventions
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Australia, Mental Disorders, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Data Collection, Female, Humans, Japan, Male, Middle Aged, Prejudice, Public Opinion, Social Conditions

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