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Perceptions of stigma and its correlates among patients with major depressive disorder: A multicenter survey from China
Author(s) -
ShiJie Feng,
HongMei Gao,
Li Wang,
BinHong Wang,
YiRu Fang,
Gang Wang,
TianMei Si
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
asia‐pacific psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.654
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1758-5872
pISSN - 1758-5864
DOI - 10.1111/appy.12260
Subject(s) - stigma (botany) , major depressive disorder , clinical psychology , depression (economics) , psychiatry , psychology , mental health , anxiety , rating scale , medicine , cognition , developmental psychology , economics , macroeconomics
Background The stigma of major depressive disorder (MDD) is an important public health problem. This study evaluated stigma in MDD patients in China using explanatory model interview catalogue (EMIC) questionnaire and the demographic and clinical symptom factors associated with the stigma of these patients. Methods A total of 158 MDD patients from domestic 3 mental health centers were surveyed. We used the EMIC questionnaire to assess stigma of these patients , Montgomery and Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS) to assess depressive severity, self‐reporting inventory (SCL‐90) to assess mental health level, Sheehan disability scale (SDS) to assess social function, and fatigue severity scale (FSS) to assess degree of fatigue. Results The stigma scores were significantly higher in the 18‐ to 30‐year‐old (z = 2.875, P = .024) and 31‐ to 40‐year‐old (z = 3.204, P = .008) groups than the 51‐ to 65‐year‐old group; in the full‐time employment group than the retired group (z = 3.163, P = .016). The stigma scores exhibited significant negative correlation with age (r = −0.169, P = .034) but positive correlations with the scores of MADRS ( r = .212, P = .007), total scores ( r = .273, P = .001) and subscales of interpersonal sensitivity ( r = .233, P = .003), depression ( r = .336, P < .001), and anxiety ( r = .228, P = .004) of SCL‐90, scores of FSS ( r = .230, P = .004), and SDS ( r = .254, P = .001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that depression subscale of SCL‐90 and FSS were independently correlated with stigma. Conclusion The age, employment status, fatigue, and depressive severity are closely associated with the perceived stigma of MDD patients and may be important factors considered for stigma interventions of MDD in China.