Individual-level socioeconomic status and contact or familiarity with people with mental illness: a cross-sectional study in Wuhou District, Chengdu, Southwest China

Association Between Familiarity with Mental Disorders and Stigma Discrimination Related to Mental Disorders Among Colombian Students

Children and adolescents with mental disorders are often discriminated against by their peers in the school context. However, knowing the variables associated with stigma discrimination related to mental disorders (SDRMD) in each school community is crucial. The study aimed to estimate the relationship of familiarity with mental disorders with SDRMD among students in Santa Marta, Colombia. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Familiarity with mental disorders and SDRMD were measured with the Reported and Intended Behavior Scale. Three hundred fifty students were aged between 10 and 17 years (13.34 ± 1.78), and 188 (53.71%) were girls. Having a close friend with a mental health problem (odds ratio = 0.17, 95% CI, 0.06-0.48) was a protective factor for SDRMD. Having a close friend with a mental health problem is protective against SDRMD among Colombian school students.

Mental illness stigma in Bangladesh: Findings from a cross-sectional survey

Background

Mental illness stigma is universally prevalent and a significant barrier to achieving global mental health goals. Mental illness stigma in Bangladesh has gained little attention despite its widespread impact on seeking mental health care in rural and urban areas. This study aimed to investigate mental illness stigma and the associated factors in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh.

Methods

The study areas were divided into several clusters from which 325 participants (≥18 years) were recruited with systematic random sampling. The Bangla version of the Days' Mental Illness Stigma Scale was used to collect data. Independent-samples t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression were performed.

Results

Results suggest that gender, age, geographical location, socioeconomic status, and occupation significantly differed across subscales of stigma. Age, gender, seeking treatment of mental illness, having knowledge on mental health, and socioeconomic status were predictive factors of mental illness stigma. The results also showed a high treatment gap in both rural and urban areas.

Conclusion

This study supports that mental illness stigma is prevalent in Bangladesh, requiring coordinated efforts. Results can inform the development of contextually tailored mental health strategies to reduce stigma and contribute to the promotion of mental health of individuals and communities across Bangladesh.

The socioeconomic context of stigma: examining the relationship between economic conditions and attitudes towards people with mental illness across European countries

Introduction

Efforts to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness have intensified over the past 30 years with a particular focus on improving public attitudes. Difficult economic circumstances can be harmful to intergroup relations, but little is known about whether there is a relationship between socioeconomic conditions and attitudes towards people with mental illnesses.

Methods

Random effects logistic regression modelling was employed to explore the relationship between individual financial circumstances, contextual socioeconomic factors and difficulty speaking to a person with a significant mental illness across European countries.

Results

Lower GDP per capita and higher income inequality at the country level, alongside individual financial difficulties, were each associated with a greater likelihood of reporting difficulty speaking to a person with a significant mental illness.

Discussion

Micro and macro-economic factors are associated with public attitudes towards people with mental illness across Europe. With prolonged economic instability predicted over the coming years in Europe it is important that these findings are taken into consideration when designing mental health and social policies, in order to safeguard the progress that has been made in reducing mental health stigma to date.

The factors and outcomes of stigma toward mental disorders among medical and nursing students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Medical and nursing students' attitudes toward mental disorders have a large impact on their working intentions in mental health settings and patients' health outcomes. However, there are few studies about the stigma toward mental disorders among medical and nursing students in China.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 838 medical and nursing students completed questionnaires on their sociodemographic characteristics and familiarity with people diagnosed with mental disorders as well as the Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness Scale (CAMI). The stigma was compared between medical students and nursing students by ANOVA. A multiple logistic regression model was built to explore the relationships among sociodemographic characteristics, familiarity with mental disorders and stigma.

RESULTS

The total mean score of the CAMI was 137.61 (SD = 15.63). The score for authoritarianism (M = 33.33, SD = 3.62) was the lowest score of the four subscales. Medical students showed more positive attitudes toward mental disorders than nursing students. However, after controlling the co-variables, the difference disappeared. Stigma was significantly associated with students' education, area of residence, marital status, economic status, history of mental disorders and familiarity with mental disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical and nursing students show a negative attitude toward mental illness to a certain degree, especially regarding the view that people with mental disorders are inferior. Higher education level, residence in urban areas, single marital status, better economic status, and better familiarity with mental disorders may be related to less stigma among medical and nursing students.