title: Attitudes to Mental Illness and Its Demographic Correlates among General Population in Singapore.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Public attitudes to mental illness could influence how the public interact with, provide opportunities for, and help people with mental illness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to explore the underlying factors of the Attitudes to Mental Illness questionnaire among the general population in Singapore and the socio-demographic correlates of each factor.
  
  
  METHODS
  From March 2014 to April 2015, a nation-wide cross-sectional survey on mental health literacy with 3,006 participants was conducted in Singapore.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factor analysis revealed a 4-factor structure for the Attitudes to Mental Illness questionnaire among the Singapore general population, namely social distancing, tolerance/support for community care, social restrictiveness, and prejudice and misconception. Older age, male gender, lower education and socio-economic status were associated with more negative attitudes towards the mentally ill. Chinese showed more negative attitudes than Indians and Malays (except for prejudice and misconception).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need for culture-specific interventions, and the associated factors identified in this study should be considered for future attitude campaigns.
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Qi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Edimansyah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abdin
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Louisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Picco
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Janhavi Ajit
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vaingankar
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Shazana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shahwan
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Anitha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jeyagurunathan
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Vathsala
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sagayadevan
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Saleha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shafie
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tay
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Siow Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.affiliation: Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
authors.forename: Mythily
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Subramaniam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011639:Public Opinion; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult