Journal article
Stigma in response to mental disorders: A comparison of Australia and Japan
KM Griffiths, Y Nakane, H Christensen, K Yoshioka, AF Jorm, H Nakane
BMC Psychiatry | BMC | Published : 2006
Open access
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 attit..
View full abstractGrants
Funding Acknowledgements
This study is part of the Australia-Japan Partnership, which is an agreement between the governments of the two countries for joint projects in areas of health. We wish to thank the Australian Department of Health and Ageing and beyondblue: the national depression initiative for support of the Australian survey and Kelly Blewitt and Liana Leach for research assistance. The Japanese research team wishes to thank the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare for the Health and Labor Research Grants (Research on Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases and Mental Health) which allowed us to conduct the research.