2000 issue 3

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Volume 9, issue 3

Badania postaw społecznych

Stereotype and distance – mental illness and mentally ill persons in the opinions of Polish society (1996 and 1999)

BOGNA WCIÓRKA1, Jacek Wciórka2
1. Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej w Warszawie
2. I Klinika Psychiatryczna Instytutu Psychiatrii i Neurologii w Warszawie
Postępy Psychiatrii i Neurologii, 2000, 9, 353-382
Keywords: mental illness, public opinion, Polish society

Abstract

The authors compare the results of two consecutive surveys of the opinions of Polishsociety concerning mental illness, conducted in 1996and 1999.

Objective. The purpose of the secondsurvey was to assess the stability or change of opinionsregistered in the first survey.

Subjects and method. The surveys were conducted by CBOSinterviewers on representative, random-addresssamples of 1088 (July 1996) and 1003 (December1999) respondents. The same questions were askedboth times.

Results. The opinions on mental illnessand the mentally ill were very stable. One respondentin three admitted to knowing some mentally ill person.Pejorative ways of defining the mentally ill predominate in the social stereotype of mental illnessalthough a slight shift in the positive direction was found in 1999. No significant changes were registeredin the level offear of mental illness and thenature of the cognitive attributions to the mentallyill. Several of these attributions, in which patientsare described as "troublesome, helpless victims"were endorsed by almost all respondents whereassuch attributes as "aggressiveness" and "sensitivity"were more controversial. Social distance with respectto the mentally ill has not changed since 1996, nomatter how it is measured. Level of declared friendlinesstowards the mentally ill has not changed and islower than it is towards patients with such problemsas "misfortune for which the person is not to beblamed" (physical or mental disability) but higherthan towards persons with health problems which areoften interpreted in terms of "deliberate violation of social norms" (AIDS, drug dependency, alcoholism).Respondents declared more friendliness thanthey observed in others. No changes were found insocial distance expressed in terms of refusal of permissionto the mentally ill to engage in certain socialroles –the intensity of this refusal depends on theextent to which a role involves responsibility forother people. Although global indices of stabilityremained stable groups differing in their social Descriptionsrevealed considerable shifts in this variable.Polish society has considerable trust in psychiatricinstitutions which are responsible for thetreatment of the mentally ill.

Conclusions. The presentedresults suggest considerable stability of thesocial stereotypes which are conducive to negativestigmatisationof and distancing from the mentally illand may give way to educational measures andefforts to modify opinions with the purpose of alteringexisting stereotypes and alleviating stigmatization and social distance.

Address for correspondence:
doc. J. Wciórka, l Klinika Psychiatryczna IPiN,
al. Sobieskiego 1/9, 02-957 Warszawa; e-mail: wciorka@ipin.edu.pl