The relationship between mental health literacy regarding schizophrenia and psychiatric stigma in the Republic of Ireland

Background: There is an unclear relationship between mental health literacy (MHL) and psychiatric stigma. MHL is associated with both positive and negative attitudes to mental illness. To our knowledge, no published peer reviewed study has examined this relationship in the Republic of Ireland. Aims:...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mental health (Abingdon, England) England), 2016-03, Vol.25 (2), p.100-108
Main Authors: O'Keeffe, Donal, Turner, Niall, Foley, Sharon, Lawlor, Elizabeth, Kinsella, Anthony, O'Callaghan, Eadbhard, Clarke, Mary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Demography
Female
Health education
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Literacy
Humans
Ireland
Male
Mental Health
Mental health literacy
Middle Aged
recovery optimism
Schizophrenia
Social Stigma
Socioeconomic Factors
Stigma
Surveys and Questionnaires
violence
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background: There is an unclear relationship between mental health literacy (MHL) and psychiatric stigma. MHL is associated with both positive and negative attitudes to mental illness. To our knowledge, no published peer reviewed study has examined this relationship in the Republic of Ireland. Aims: This study was conducted to assess MHL regarding schizophrenia and the degree of psychiatric stigma displayed by the general public in the Republic of Ireland. Method: A face-to-face in-home omnibus survey was conducted with a representative sample of residents of the Republic of Ireland. Participants (N = 1001) were presented with a vignette depicting schizophrenia and were asked questions to determine their ability to recognise the condition and to ascertain their attitudes towards schizophrenia and mental illness. Results: Among the participants, 34.1% correctly identified schizophrenia. Higher age, higher socioeconomic status, and an urban geographic location predicted identification. Those who did not correctly identify schizophrenia were significantly more optimistic about recovery and perceived people with schizophrenia as less dangerous. However, only the relationship with perceived dangerousness was considered robust. Conclusions: Participants with higher MHL displayed more negative attitudes to mental illness. Findings have implications internationally for MHL and anti-stigma campaigns.
ISSN:0963-8237
1360-0567
DOI:10.3109/09638237.2015.1057327