Mental Health Stigma: The Impact of Age and Gender on Attitudes

Abstract

General attitudes towards mental health have reportedly improved in recent years, though conversely research suggests many people still hold stigmatised views. A lack of clarity exists regarding the demographics of those who possess such attitudes and this study aims to provide crucial information in this area. Through the utilisation of a cross-section survey design, the attitudes of a purposive sample of young people aged 16-18 years (n = 98) and adults aged 40 years and over (n = 80) were assessed. To explore this, participants responded to questions related to generalised anxiety disorder and schizophrenia. Results indicate that both age and gender influence attitudes towards generalised anxiety disorder but not towards schizophrenia. Attitudes towards schizophrenia were more negative across the entire sample, though females responded more positively than males. Findings suggest that further work is needed to combat the stigma surrounding mental health, with implications for policy and future research discussed.

Keywords: Anti-stigma campaigns; Generalised anxiety disorder; Mental illness; Schizophrenia; Stigma.