Social distance toward schizophrenia among parents of adolescents

Hatsumi Yoshii, Yuichiro Watanabe, Hideaki Kitamura, Yiwei Ling, Kouhei Akazawa

Department of Medical Informatics and Statistics, Graduate School of Medicine, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan.
Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan;Division of Medical Education, Comprehensive Medical Education Center, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan.
School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tohoku University, Miyagi, Japan.

DOI: 10.4236/health.2012.47061                

Abstract

Social distance toward schizophrenia is a reason for delays in receiving early treatment for the disorder. This study attempted to identify the factors underlying social distance. The participants were 2690 parents of adolescents. Factor analysis using a social distance scale identified two factors: private relationship and social relationship. Regression analysis revealed that gender, age, and participation in welfare activities for people with mental illnesses had independent effects on the factor private relationship (p < 0.05). These results suggest that women aged 40 - 49 years should be targeted for activities that attempt to counteract social distance and that they would benefit from taking part in public welfare activities for individuals with mental illnesses.

Keywords

Schizophrenia; Social Distance; Parents of Adolescents

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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