Stigma of Mental Illness in China: Extending the SGC-MHS

描述（由调查者提供）：根据美国卫生局局长和世界卫生组织（WHO）的说法，精神疾病（MI）的耻辱是识别、治疗和康复的最关键障碍之一。在福格蒂国际中心的一项特别计划下，在国家心理健康研究所和行为与社会科学研究办公室的额外支持下，开展了全球背景下的耻辱——心理健康研究（SGC-MHS），以了解各国对精神分裂症的理解和耻辱程度。尽管纳入了广泛的国家，但中国在SGC-MHS数据集中明显缺席。该应用程序旨在通过将中国的实质性专业知识及其独特的采样挑战与SGC-MHS研究人员的经验相结合来填补这一空白。本研究提出：1)使用定制版的SGC-MH研究工具估计中国病耻感的性质、水平和个体水平相关因素；2)利用SGC-MHS中文模块收集的调查数据，检验有关障碍（特别是污名）对医疗和心理健康服务认可影响的假设；3)将SGC-MHS中文模块的数据整合到更大的16个国家的研究中，以检查耻辱感的原因和相关因素。为此，将使用定制版本的SGCMHS工具，通过面对面访谈从具有全国代表性的中国人口样本（N= 5250）中收集数据。将中国纳入SGC-MHS将提高对病耻感根源的认识，提高对全球病耻感负担的估计，并为中国和其他地区减少病耻感提供重要的科学基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): According to the U.S. Surgeon General and the World Health Organization (WHO), the stigma attached to mental illness (MI) stands as one of the most critical barriers to recognition, treatment and recovery. Under a special program of the Fogarty International Center and with additional support from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, the Stigma in Global Context - Mental Health Study (SGC-MHS) was mounted to understand the extent to which MI is understood and stigmatized across countries. Despite the inclusion of a wide range of countries, China stands as a notable absence in the SGC-MHS data set. This application is designed to fill that gap by combining substantive expertise on China and its unique sampling challenges with the experience of SGC-MHS researchers. This application proposes to : 1) Estimate the nature, level and individual level correlates of stigma in China using a tailored version of the SGC-MH Study instrument; 2) Use the survey data collected by the Chinese module of the SGC-MHS to test hypotheses concerning the influences of barriers, particularly stigma, to the endorsement of medical and mental health services; 3) Integrate the data from the Chinese module of the SGC-MHS into the larger 16 nation study to examine the causes and correlates of stigma. Towards these ends, data will be collected from a nationally representative sample of the Chinese population (N= 5,250) in face-to-face interviews using a tailored version of the SGCMHS instrument. Adding China to the SGC-MHS will improve understanding of the underlying roots of stigma, sharpen estimates of the global burden of stigma, and provide a critical, scientific base for stigma reduction in China and elsewhere. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: With one-fifth of the world's population, China accounts for a sizable share of the global burden of disease, including mental illness. Existing research indicates that stigma shapes both individual (e.g., low service use, prejudice, discrimination) and system problems (e.g., inadequate treatment resources). Examining both the roots and the potential consequences of stigmatizing attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral predispositions in China would significantly improve scientific understanding, the development of interventions and the policy implications of data provided by the existing cross-national collaboration in the SGC-MHS.