Stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental disorders in a survey of older Japanese adults before the COVID-19 pandemic

Aging Ment Health. 2025 Jun 19:1-8. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2025.2519613. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: This study investigates stigmatising attitudes towards depression and schizophrenia in a sample of Japanese adults aged 70-79.

METHOD: One thousand participants completed an online survey in 2017. They were randomly assigned to read a vignette of a person experiencing either major depression or chronic schizophrenia, then answered questions regarding discrimination by others in the community, personal and perceived stigma, and preference for social distance.

RESULTS: Participants had more stigmatising attitudes towards the vignette of the person experiencing schizophrenia. They most often endorsed statements indicating they would not employ someone, or vote for a politician, with a mental disorder. Participants perceived that other people were more likely to hold stigmatising attitudes than themselves. Regarding social distance, participants were most unwilling to have the person marry into their family or move next door to them.

CONCLUSION: Substantial minorities of older Japanese adults hold stigmatising attitudes towards people with mental disorders, particularly towards those experiencing schizophrenia, and for statements assessing desire for social distance. Anti-stigma efforts targeted at older Japanese adults might usefully focus on destigmatising schizophrenia, promoting the social inclusion and competence of people with mental disorders, and developing social contact interventions to reduce desire for social distance.

PMID:40536165 | DOI:10.1080/13607863.2025.2519613