title: 'Individualism-collectivism' as an explanatory device for mental illness stigma.
abstract: The aim of this study is investigate whether the cross-cultural value paradigm 'individualism-collectivism' is a useful explanatory model for mental illness stigma on a cultural level. Using snowball sampling, a quantitative questionnaire survey of 305 individuals from four UK-based cultural groups (white-English, American, Greek/Greek Cypriot, and Chinese) was carried out. The questionnaire included the 'Community Attitudes to Mental Illness scale' and the 'vertical-horizontal individualism-collectivism scale'. The results revealed that the more stigmatizing a culture's mental illness attitudes are, the more likely collectivism effectively explains these attitudes. In contrast, the more positive a culture's mental illness attitudes, the more likely individualism effectively explains attitudes. We conclude that a consideration of the individualism-collectivism paradigm should be included in any future research aiming to provide a holistic understanding of the causes of mental illness stigma, particularly when the cultures stigmatization levels are particularly high or low.
authors: Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire, Putteridge Bury, Hitchin Road, Bedfordshire, LU2 8LE, UK. chris.papadopoulos@beds.ac.uk
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Papadopoulos
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Foster
authors: Kay
authors: K
authors: Caldwell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008875:Middle Aged; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult