The relationship between causal beliefs and desire for social distance towards people with schizophrenia and depression: Results from a survey of young Ghanaian adults.

Journal: Psychiatry research

Volume: 271

Issue: 

Year of Publication: 2019

Affiliated Institutions:  Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Evang. Hospital Königin Elisabeth Herzberge, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: Miriam.Franke@berlin.de. Institute of Psychology, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: ulrike.von.lersner@hu-berlin.de. Department of Art Education, University of Winneba, Ghana. Electronic address: eyensempii@gmail.com. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany; Center for International Health, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany; Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics, Munich, Germany. Electronic address: Kristina.Adorjan@med.uni-muenchen.de. Department of Psychiatry, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany. Electronic address: georg.schomerus@uni-greifswald.de. Department of Psychiatry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Germany. Electronic address: ana.gomez@charite.de. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany. Electronic address: thi-minh-tam.ta@charite.de. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany. Electronic address: kerem.boege@charite.de. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany; Institute of Psychology, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: mobashery@posteo.de. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany. Electronic address: michael.dettling@charite.de. Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Evang. Hospital Königin Elisabeth Herzberge, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: a.diefenbacher@keh-berlin.de. Center for Public Mental Health, Gösing am Wagram, Austria. Electronic address: angermeyer@aon.at. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Evang. Hospital Königin Elisabeth Herzberge, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: eric.hahn@charite.de.

Abstract summary 

This study examines attitudes of the young Ghanaian population regarding the relationship between causal beliefs and desire for social distance from people with symptoms of schizophrenia and depression. Respondents (n = 507) were presented with depression and schizophrenia symptoms using unlabeled case vignettes. A factor analysis examined three factors for causal beliefs, and multiple linear regression analysis on the desire for social distance was conducted. The desire for social distance was higher when symptoms in both case-vignettes were attributed to childhood adversities and overall lower when respondents lived in northern regions of Ghana. Only, for vignettes depicting schizophrenia, mental illness attribution was associated with more desire for social distance. Significant gender effects were found for depression vignettes only: female respondents reported significantly more desire for social distance, whereas female gendered vignettes were associated with less desire for social distance by respondents of both genders.

Authors & Co-authors:  Franke Miriam Leona ML Lersner Ulrike von UV Essel Osuanyi Quaicoo OQ Adorjan Kristina K Schomerus Georg G Gómez-Carrillo Ana A Tam Ta Thi Minh TM Böge Kerem K Mobashery Mahan M Dettling Michael M Diefenbacher Albert A Angermeyer Matthias C MC Hahn Eric E

Study Outcome 

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Citations : 
Authors :  13
Identifiers
Doi : 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.11.030
SSN : 1872-7123
Study Population
Female
Mesh Terms
Adult
Other Terms
Causal beliefs;Ghana;Mental health;Social Distance Scale;Stigma;Sub-Saharan Africa
Study Design
Case Study,Cross Sectional Study
Study Approach
Country of Study
Ghana
Publication Country
Ireland