Predictors of personal depression stigma in medical students in China: differences in male and female groups

Abstract

Depression is common worldwide, and stigmatizing attitudes toward depression have proved to be one of the major barriers to seeking professional help. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of personal depression stigma and identify its predictive factors among medical students in Hainan, China, as well as explore the gender difference. A total of 2,186 medical students were recruited using stratified random cluster sampling and interviewed by structured anonymous questionnaires. Personal stigma was measured by the standardized Depression Stigma Scale (DSS). Multivariate linear regression models were used to identify predictors of stigma, and the interactions between gender and each predictor were included to test its gender difference. The mean score on DSS Scale was 13.71 ± 5.35, with males significantly higher than females (14.85 vs 12.99, P < 0.0001). Compared to females, males were more likely to agree with ‘I would not vote for a class cadre if I knew they had been depressed’ and ‘I would not make friends with him if I knew he had been depressed’. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that males’ personal stigma was predicted by being only child ( ß = 1.01, P = 0.0083), moderate-to-severe depression ( ß = 1.12, P = 0.0302), and lower self-rated academic core competitiveness (Competitive: ß = 1.29, P = 0.0088, Not at all/Somewhat competitive: ß = 1.04, P = 0.0381), while females’ personal stigma was only associated with moderate-to-severe depression ( ß = 1.75, P < 0.0001). Significant interactions were found between gender and self-rated academic core competitiveness. Stigmatizing attitudes toward depression were prevalent among Chinese medical students, especially male students. Gender differences were found in the predictors of stigma. Effective measures must be taken to reduce the stigma of mental health among Chinese medical students.

Stigmatizing attitudes toward mental disorders among non-mental health nurses in general hospitals of China: a national survey

“…This study explored the stigmatization of PWMD in Chinese general hospital NMHNs. In this study, the mean DSS-Personal Scale score of Chinese general hospitals NMHNs was (17.24 ± 6.700) ( Table 2 ), which was higher than the scores of Chinese medical students (13.71 ± 5.350) ( 10 ) and Portuguese community adults (12.71 ± 5.520) ( 53 ). This finding suggests that the stigma of personal mental disorders is higher in Chinese general hospital NMHNs.…”

“…The total score (range 0–36) is calculated by summing all item scores, with higher total scores indicating higher levels of individual morbidity stigma. The DSS-Personal Scale has been widely used in surveys of different populations ( 3 , 10 ). Our study used the Chinese scale version, which showed excellent psychometric properties ( 49 , 50 ).…”

“…More than 450 million people suffer from mental disorders worldwide (1,2), but stigmatizing attitudes toward people with mental disorders (PWMD) are prevalent in the global population (3)(4)(5)(6). This is also evident in Chinese culture (7)(8)(9)(10). Stigma is "the situation of an individual disqualified from full social acceptance" (11).…”

Psychological wellbeing of students with trait narcissism

“…A systematic review by Zhang et al [6] suggested that the highest reported cause of mental health problems among young adults is academic stress. While the prevalence of academic stress and mental health issues was reported to be high among university students, it is important to highlight that the reports vary according to many factors; academic factors, for instance, nursing and medical students tend to be reported as experiencing higher levels of academic stress, anxiety, and depression [7]. Another instance is based on social interaction factors; during the lockdown amidst the pandemic, where the social interaction was observed to be lower among every individual, the stress levels among college students was reported to be higher among college students [8].…”