Premium
Effects of biogenetic beliefs for schizophrenia on potential caregivers in China: Exploring the role of affiliate stigma
Author(s) -
Yao Xiaohui,
Wang Chunhui,
Zhu Zhigang,
Hui Jianwen
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of mental health nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.911
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1447-0349
pISSN - 1445-8330
DOI - 10.1111/inm.12655
Subject(s) - stigma (botany) , psychology , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , china , prejudice (legal term) , perception , social stigma , family member , social distance , mediation , clinical psychology , social psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medicine , disease , family medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , political science , law , covid-19 , pathology , neuroscience , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Schizophrenia affects more than eight million people in China. Stigmatization of schizophrenia may prevent family members and close others from providing social support to those with schizophrenia. This article aims to investigate the potential use of a biogenetic approach to reduce the stigma of schizophrenia using a cross‐sectional (study 1, n = 141) and an experimental design (study 2, n = 100) in China. In the first study, mediation analysis reveals that perceived affiliate stigma, the negative prejudice, and discrimination towards family members of individuals with socially stigmatized identities due to their affiliation with the person mediates the path between biogenetic beliefs and desire for social distance. This pattern is replicated in study 2 in which two 10‐min lectures were created and used to influence participants’ beliefs in biogenetic causes of schizophrenia. Findings suggest that the biogenetic approach may increase Chinese participants’ desired social distance towards their family members with schizophrenia through increasing their concerns about the negative consequences of being affiliated with the family member. Therefore, future research should investigate aspects of biogenetic anti‐stigma campaigns that do not increase participants’ perception of affiliate stigma in China.