Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T14:03:07.170Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Examining the Attributions of Discrimination toward People with Mental Illness among Chinese College Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 April 2016

Lisa Xi Zheng ,
John P. Keegan ,
David Rosenthal ,
William Talley  and
Celeste A. Hunter
Lisa Xi Zheng*
Affiliation:
Department of Rehabilitation, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Maryland, USA
John P. Keegan
Affiliation:
Department of Educational Foundations and Counseling Programs, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, USA
David Rosenthal
Affiliation:
Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
William Talley
Affiliation:
Department of Rehabilitation, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Maryland, USA
Celeste A. Hunter
Affiliation:
Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Lisa Xi Zheng, Department of Rehabilitation, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD 21853. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the usefulness of the attribution model (Corrigan, Markowitz, Watson, Rowan & Kubiak, 2003; Weiner, 1995) in a Chinese cultural context to explain Chinese college students’ perceptions of discrimination toward people with mental illness. A total of 293 college students (male = 142; female = 151; age from 18 to 22) completed an Attribution Questionnaire (AQ) after reading vignettes, consisting of a male who either used illicit drugs or had a traumatic brain injury. Data were analysed using a hierarchical regression to determine the amount of variance accounted for in discriminatory behaviours by the attribution model. The results showed, when controlling for all other factors, that controllability and the three emotions (pity, anger, and fear) were found to be significant predictors of discrimination. The relationship between controllability, responsibility, and discrimination was not consistent with the attribution model since responsibility did not mediate the controllability of cause. These results provide support for the idea that disability attributions are culturally influenced.

Keywords

mental illnessschizophreniaattribution modeldiscriminationstigma
Type
Articles
Information
The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , July 2016 , pp. 40 - 50
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bedford, O., & Hwang, K.K. (2003). Guilt and shame in Chinese culture: A cross-cultural framework from the perspective of morality and identity. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 33, 127–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, S.A. (2008). Factors and measurement of mental illness stigma: A psychometric examination of the attribution questionnaire. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 32, 89–94.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corrigan, P.W. (2004). How stigma interferes with mental health care. American psychologist, 59 (7), 614.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corrigan, P.W., Markowitz, F.E., Watson, A., Rowan, D., & Kubiak, M.A. (2003). An attribution model of public discrimination towards persons with mental illness. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44, 162–179.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corrigan, P.W.et al. (1999). Predictors of participation in campaigns against mental illness stigma. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 187, 378–380.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heider, F. (1958). The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations. New York, USA: Wiley.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopper, K., & Wanderling, J. (2000). Revisiting the developed versus developing country distinction in course and outcome in schizophrenia: Results from ISoS, the WHO collaborative follow-up project. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 26, 835–846.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karasawa, K. (1991). The effects of onset and offset responsibility on affects and helping Judgments. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 21, 482–499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kulhara, P., & Chakrabarti, S. (2001). Culture and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 24, 449–464.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lin, Y.N. (2001). The application of cognitive-behavioral therapy to counseling Chinese. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 55, 46–58.Google Scholar
Markus, H.R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation". Psychological Review, 98 (2): 224–253. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.98.2.224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, J.G. (1984). Culture and the development of everyday social explanation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46 (5): 961–978. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.46.5.961.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Monahan, J., Swartz, M., & Bonnie, R.J. (2003). Mandated treatment in the community for people with mental disorders. Health Affairs, 22, 28–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearson, V. (1993). Families in China: An undervalued resource for mental health? Journal of Family Therapy, 15, 163–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillips, M.R., Pearson, V., Li, F., Xu, M., & Yang, L. (2002). Stigma and expressed emotion: A study of people with schizophrenia and their family members in China. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 181, 488–493.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process. In Berkowitz, L. (ed.). Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. (vol. 10, pp. 173–220). New York, USA: Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-015210-X.Google Scholar
Tsang, W.H.H., Weng, Y., & Tarm, P. (2000). Needs and problems related to mental health services in Beijing. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Skills, 4, 1–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weiner, B. (1995). Judgments of Responsibility: A Foundation for a Theory of Social Conduct. New York, USA: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Weiner, B., Perry, R.P., & Magnusson, J. (1988). An attributional analysis of reactions to stigmas. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 738–748.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Xiang, Y.T., Yu, X., Sartorius, N., Ungvari, G.S., & Chiu, H.F. (2012). Mental health in China: Challenges and progress. The Lancet, 380 (9855), 1715–1716.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zheng, X. (2011). Chinese university students’ stigma towards people with mental illness: Attribution model and severity hypothesis. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. (3488634).Google Scholar