This dissertation examines the stigmatization of two health conditions: mental disability and physical disability in the context of China. In particular, it addresses two main themes: the processes and impacts of stigma, and the variables that moderate the association of stigma with social attributes.
The first paper applied a qualitative approach to identify the sources of burdens of raising a child with cerebral palsy in China and how stigma and “face” as a cultural factor affect children with cerebral palsy and their families. The findings showed that families with children of cerebral palsy report tremendous financial burdens, insufficient educational and medical services, as well as discrimination among family members and communities. An overwhelming majority of caregivers reported to have had the feeling of “loss of face,” while family members considered the child with cerebral palsy as “useless” and “burdensome.” Their common remarks o “send away the child to orphanage” and “give another birth to a normal child”, reinforced caregivers’ feeling of helplessness, and put many family relationships to an end.
The second and third papers on stigma and mental illness studied the underlying social determinants of public stigma and the variations in the general public’s attitudes and reactions toward people with mental illness. Using a population-based stratified sample of 3703 adults from the Stigma in Global Context-Mental Health Study, paper II investigated social attributes, stigma, and the links between them. Paper III assessed how demographics and geographical location structured public perceptions and reactions towards people with mental illness.
Findings from paper II indicated that Chinese are less willing to interact with people with depression and schizophrenia than those with a physical illness. Depressive disorders had more rejections than schizophrenia in this study. Age, education, and place of residence among respondents had significant association with public stigma. The label of “mental illness” and perception of dangerousness had significant negative association on social stigma. Findings from paper III indicated that social distance had a significant association with regional context, which suggests that public stigma exists at larger cultural levels. Our findings help inform specific factors in the pursuit of tackling structural discrimination.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:harvard.edu/oai:dash.harvard.edu:1/27201730 |
| Date | 06 June 2016 |
| Creators | Shen, Liying |
| Contributors | Williams, David R. |
| Publisher | Harvard University |
| Source Sets | Harvard University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | open |
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