Public images of mental illness: A factor analytic study of causes and symptoms |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, PA, United States;2. Motor Cognition Group, Clinical Neuropsychology and Lurija Institute for Rehabilitation and Health Sciences, University of Konstanz, Konstanz; and Schmieder Foundation for Sciences and Research, Allensbach, Germany;1. Plant Conservation and Population Biology, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium;2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi 6205, Bangladesh;3. Bioinspirational Management (PME&BIM), Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), KU Leuven, Campus De Nayer, 2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium |
| |
| Abstract: | While most studies of public images of mental illness have dealt with symptoms but not causes, and have largely been based upon asking the public the degree to which they agree with psychiatric definitions of mental illness, this study incorporates cultural inertia theory which states public images of mental illness reflect explanations of mental illness which have been dominant in various periods of Western Civilisation. These explanations are identified as moral, mental and psyche explanations. A battery of items are subjected to factor analysis and the resulting factors, in order of public preferences are (1) Kinship Causes, (2) Mental Causes, (3) Moral Symptoms, (4) Aggressive-Unstable Personality Symptoms, (5) Mental Symptoms, and (6) Moral Causes. The factor analysis largely confirms the hypotheses tested: classification of causes and symptoms used by the public to identify mental illness reflect moral, mental, and interpersonal explanations. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
