Some Determinants of the Attitudes Towards Persons with Mental Disorders Cover Image

Neke determinante stavova prema osobama sa psihičkim poremećajima
Some Determinants of the Attitudes Towards Persons with Mental Disorders

Author(s): Ana Kurtović, Nikolina Svalina
Subject(s): Social psychology and group interaction, Clinical psychology, Demography and human biology
Published by: Sveučilište u Mostaru i Institut društvenih znanosti Ivo Pilar, Zagreb
Keywords: socio-demographic characteristics; contact; knowledge; attributions; attitudes; mental disorders;

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper was to examine some determinants of the attitudes towards persons with mental disorders. In an online research with 264 respondents (aged 16 to 64, average age 30.13, SD=10.50) we collected demographic data and examined contacts with persons with mental disorders, self-evaluation of the knowledge about mental disorders, attributions of mental disorders (internality, stability, controllability) and attitudes (the factor analysis gave us three factors: affective discomfort and avoiding, giving deviant characteristics and segregation and tolerance and normalization). The results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that the socio-demographic variables did not predict affective discomfort and avoiding, whereas female sex and higher degree of education did predict less giving of deviant characteristics and segregation. The age predicted more tolerance and normalization. Friendship with a person who has a mental disorder and knowledge predicted less affective discomfort and avoiding and more tolerance and normalization. They did not have important effects on Giving deviant characteristics and segregation. Finally, the point of view that mental disorders are changeable states which a person cannot influence with his/her own will also contributed to the more positive attitudes, predicting all the three factors.

  • Issue Year: 20/2016
  • Issue No: 1-2
  • Page Range: 21-39
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: Croatian