Assessing public knowledge about psychosis and its relationship with public attitudes towards persons with psychosis in Hong Kong

Abstract

Objectives: Public stigma has been identified as a major obstacle for the recovery process of persons suffering from psychosis. Psycho-education to the public is suggested to be effective in enhancing public knowledge and understanding of patients with psychosis. It claims to be an effective way to reduce discrimination against and the labelling effect on mentally ill patients. However, there is a lack of understanding on the relationship between knowledge and attitudes. The current study aims at evaluating the relationship between public knowledge and public attitudes on persons with psychosis; and at identifying how violence factor influences the public attitudes. The implications of the findings for planning a psycho-education programme are discussed.

Method: Subjects (n=81) were recruited from public health talks on psychosis organized by the Jockey Club Early Psychosis Project (JECP). General knowledge about psychosis was assessed with a modified multiple-choice questionnaire, Knowledge about Schizophrenia Test (KAST). Two hypothetical descriptions of two patients with psychosis were designed, with one of the descriptions associated with violent behaviour and the other without. Subjects rated their willingness to interact with the hypothetical patients using a 19-item social distance scale. Other assessments included subjects’ previous contact with patients of psychosis and their history of working in the medical field.

Results: The overall level of knowledge about psychosis of subjects was good. Subjects at an older age were associated with better knowledge of psychosis. No correlation was found between overall knowledge and attitudes. However, subjects having better knowledge in Cause of KAST were correlated with less rejecting attitudes towards patients of psychosis. The current study has identified that violence is a significant factor that influences the attitudes of subjects. Significant rejecting attitudes were found in violence vignette as compared to non-violence vignette. Female subjects were found having significantly higher rejecting attitudes towards patients of psychosis with violent behaivour. Previous contact with patients and history of working in the medical field found no correlation with attitudes in this study.

Conclusion: The current study suggests that violence factor has a significant correlation with attitudes towards patients of psychosis. The rejecting attitudes influenced by the impression of violent behaviour of patients with psychosis are likely difficult to be removed. The labelling and stigmatizing effect on patients with psychosis through sensational description of violence by mass media is considered influential. Mass media should acknowledge their crucial role by stopping news reports using sensational, dramatic descriptions on violent incidences of mentally ill patients.