Mental Illness Beliefs in Malaysia: Ethnic and Intergenerational Comparisons

Jeanne L. Edman and Teh Yik Koon
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Jeanne L. Edman: Dept. of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii-KCC, 4303 Diamond Head Rd., Honolulu, HI, 96816 USA
Teh Yik Koon: School of Sosial Development, 06010 UUM, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah Darul Aman, Malaysia

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2000, vol. 46, issue 2, 101-109

Abstract: Two groups of college students in Malaysia, ethnic Malay and ethnic Chinese, completed a mental illness attribution and help seeking questionnaire, and these responses were also compared with the responses of their mothers. As expected, ethnic Malays rated religious items, such as God and prayer, higher than the Chinese. However, both groups rated the social and psychological causes higher than religious, supernatural or physical causes. Contrary to our predictions, there were no intergenerational differences among either ethnic group. Medical pluralism was demonstrated, as a variety of apparently contradictory help seeking behaviors received quite high ratings including doctor/pharmacy, prayer, herbal medicine and traditional healers.

Date: 2000
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:46:y:2000:i:2:p:101-109

DOI: 10.1177/002076400004600203

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