Beliefs About Schizophrenia and Its Treatment in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Viren Swami, Adrian Furnham, Kumaraswami Kannan and Dhachayani Sinniah
Additional contact information
Viren Swami: Department of Psychology, University of Westminster, London, UK, virenswami@hotmail.com
Adrian Furnham: Department of Psychology, University College London, London, UK
Kumaraswami Kannan: Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Dhachayani Sinniah: Jabatan Psikiatri, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2008, vol. 54, issue 2, 164-179

Abstract: Background: Lay beliefs about schizophrenia have been extensively studied in cross-cultural settings, but research on ethnic differences are currently lacking. Aims: This study examined beliefs about the manifestations, causes and cures of schizophrenia in a multi-ethnic sample from Malaysia. Methods: In this study, 561 Malay, Chinese and Kadazan-Dusun participants rated 72 statements about schizophrenia on a 7-point scale. Results: Results showed that Malaysians tended to favour social-environmental explanations for schizophrenia. There were also ethnic and sex differences in these results. Specifically, Malay participants more strongly agreed that schizophrenia has a social cause, that treatment should affect changes at a societal level, that schizophrenic behaviour is sinful and that mental hospitals do not provide effective treatments. Conclusions : Lay beliefs about schizophrenia may serve different functions for different ethno-cultural groups, which have an influence on help-seeking behaviour.

Keywords: culture; lay beliefs; Malaysia; schizophrenia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:54:y:2008:i:2:p:164-179

DOI: 10.1177/0020764007084665

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