Stigmatisation towards people with mental health problems in secondary school students: an international cross-sectional study between three cities in Japan, China and South-Korea

Abstract

There is great concern over stigmatisation amongst young people towards people with mental health problems. However, few studies have conducted international comparisons between young people living in Asian countries. This study investigated the knowledge and attitudes towards people with mental health problems in secondary school students in Osaka (Japan), Shenyang (China) and Busan (South-Korea) to determine which factors influence their understandings and attitudes towards people with mental health problems. The study included 380 participants from Osaka, 294 from Shenyang and 350 from Busan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess knowledge and social distance towards people with mental health problems, as understandings and attitudes. Stigmatising knowledge and attitudes were held by students in Osaka, Shengyang and Busan. The students in Busan were more likely to give positive responses than those in Osaka and Shenyang. There was a relationship between students' knowledge and social distance in the three cities. Students' attitudes were associated with knowing someone with mental health problems in Osaka and Busan, but not in Shenyang. The results indicated that the students in the three cities have misunderstandings and stigmatising attitudes, although there are differences in the degree of stigmatisation and its factors.

Keywords:

• attitude
• cross-cultural study
• knowledge
• secondary school student
• stigma

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr Vanessa Pinfold for giving us the information on the rating method of the scales used in this study. We are also grateful to Professor Masakuni Tagaki, Osaka Prefecture University, for supporting this study. This study was funded by a grant from the Naniwatomoare Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Sosei Yamaguchi is a flexible researcher at the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work from Osaka Prefecture University, Japan, and his Master of Science in Mental Health Services Research from Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK.

Ling He is a postgraduate student at Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan. She is also a Psychiatrist in China. She earned her medical degree from Dalian Medical University, China and her Master in Social Work from Osaka Prefecture University, Japan.

Koeun Kim works as a researcher at Gyeongnam Development Institute, Women & Family Policy Research Center, Changwon, Republic of Korea. She earned both her Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work and Master in Social Work from Osaka Prefecture University, Japan.

Yoshio Mino is a psychiatrist and head of the Mino Mental Health Research Centre, Okayama, Japan. He was a professor of Mental Health at Osaka Prefecture University, Japan before building up Mino Mental Health Research Centre. He obtained his medical degree from Okayama University, Japan.