Summary
There has been a consensus in the literature that positive attitudes towards the exmental patient are inversely related to age, directly related to education, and not related to sex. There has been some controversy over whether or not familiarity with people who have been mentally ill encourages positive attitudes towards them.
A 1974 re-survey of the Cummings' 1951Closed Ranks baseline study area shows a slight overall shift toward more acceptance of the mentally ill and appears to support the often-found relationships between age, education, and attitudinal social distance. Multiple regression analysis, however, suggests that education has no appreciable impact on attitudes and that age has negative influence only for those in the over-40 age group. Neither sex nor familiarity shows significant association with social distance.
An item-by-item analysis of the social distance scale reveals that of eleven significant relationships, age accounts for six of them, education for two, and familiarity for three. Because of the particularly high negative correlations between age and items concerning marriage and falling in love, the possibility arises that these social distance items may be reactive to changing cultural patterns and largely responsible for indications that attitudes have become more favourable. Our analyses suggest that this is not the case and that explanations for more positive attitudes must be sought elsewhere.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Altrocchi, J., Eisdorfer, C.: Changes in attitudes toward mental illness. M. H. 45, 563–570 (1961)
Bates, J.: Attitudes toward mental illness. M. H. 52, 250–253 (1968)
Bord, R.: Rejection of the mentally ill: continuities and further developments. Soc. Prob. 18, 496–509 (1971)
Chin-Shong, E.: Rejection of the Mentally Ill: A Comparison with the Findings of Ethnic Prejudice. Ph. D. dissertation, Columbia University 1968
Clark, A. W., Binks, N.: Relation of age and education to attitudes toward mental illness. Psychol. Rep. 19, 649–650 (1966)
Cohen, J., Struening, E.: Opinions about mental illness in the personnel of two large mental hospitals. J. Abnorm. Psychol. 64, 349–360 (1962)
Crocetti, G. M., Lemkau, P. V.: Public opinions of psychiatric home care in an urban area. Am. J. Public Health 53, 409–414 (1963)
Crocetti, G., Spiro, H., Siassi, I.: Contemporary Attitudes Toward Mental Illness. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press 1974
Cumming, M. E.: The Social Control of Mental Illness, with Special Reference to the Strategies of Isolation and Denial. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Harvard University 1954
Cumming, E., Cumming, J.: Closed Ranks: an Experiment in Mental Health Education. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press 1957
D'Arcy, C., Brockman, J.: Changing public recognition of psychiatric symptoms? Blackfoot revisited. J. Health Soc. Behav. 17, 302–310 (1976) Public rejection of the ex-mental patient: are attitudes changing? Can. Rev. Sociol. Anthropol. 14, 68–80 (1977)
Decision Making Information Canada (DMIC): Perception of Mental Health: The Citizen's point of view. A study commissioned by Alberta Health and Social Development 1974.
Dohrenwend, B. P., Chin-Shong, E.: Social status and attitudes toward psychological disorder: the problem of tolerance of deviance. Am. Sociol. Rev. 32, 417–433 (1967)
Freeman, Howard, E.: Attitudes toward mental illness among relatives of former patients. Am. Sociol. Rev. 26, 59–66 (1961)
Homes, D.: Changes in attitudes about mental illness. New York: Center for Community Research (Mimeo.) 1968
Laine, A., Lehtinen, V.: Attitudes toward mental illness and their relationship to structure and mental hospital bed utilization in two Finnish rural communities. Soc. Psychiatry 8, 117–123 (1973)
Lawton, M.: Correlates of the opinions about mental illness scale. J. Consult. Psychol. 28, 94 (1964)
MacLean, U.: Community attitudes to mental illness in Edinburgh. Br. J. Prev. Soc. Med. 23, 45–52 (1969)
Middleton, J.: The prejudices and opinions of mental hospital employees regarding mental illness. Am. J. Psychiatry 110, 113–138 (1953)
Nunnally, J. C.: Popular Conceptions of Mental Health: Their Development and Change. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. 1961
Phillips, D. L.: Rejection: a possible consequence of seeking help for mental disorders. Am. Sociol. Rev. 28, 963–972 (1963) Public identification and acceptance of the mentally ill. Am. J. Public Health 56, 755–763 (1966)
Pratt, S.: Giannitrapani, D., Khanna, P.: Attitudes toward the mental hospital and selected population characteristics. J. Clin. Psychol. 16, 214–218 (1960)
Rabkin, Judith G.: Public attitudes toward mental illness: a review of the literature. Schizophrenia Bull. 10, 9–33 (1974) The role of attitudes toward mental illness in evaluation of mental health programs. Handbook on Evaluation Research, Volume II. M. Guttentag and E. L. Struening (eds.) Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1975, pp. 431–482
Ramsey, G. V., Seipp, M.: Attitudes and opinions concerning mental illness. Psychiatr. Q. 22, 428–444 (1948)
Sudman, S., Bradburn, N. M.: Response Effects in Surveys. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co. 1974
Swingle, P.: Relatives' concepts of mental patients. M. H. 49, 461–465 (1965)
Tringo, J. L.: The hierarchy of preference toward disability groups. J. Spec. Ed. 4, 295–306 (1970)
Whatley, C. D.: Social attitudes toward discharged mental patients. Soc. Prob. 6, 313–320 (1959)
Woodward, J. L.: Changing ideas on mental illness and its treatment. Am. Sociol. Rev. 16, 443–454 (1951)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This paper is based on a larger project entitled “Opened Ranks? Closed Ranks Revisited,” currently suported by Canada Council Grant # S75-0397 and the Psychiatric Services Branch of the Saskatchewan Department of Health. Initial funding was provided by a research grant from Mental Health Saskatchewan and Associated Canadian Travellers. The support of a National Health Scholar Award for Carl D'Arcy is gratefully acknowledged. Requests for article reprints should be addressed to him.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brockman, J., D'Arcy, C. Correlates of attitudinal social distance toward the mentally ill: A review and re-survey. Soc Psychiatry 13, 69–77 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583863
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00583863