Stigmatizing behaviour towards those with mental health problems in Czechia and England: survey on representative sample of the population
Abstract
People with mental disorders are stigmatized all over the world, but the extent of stigmatization varies across the individual countries. The aim of the present study was to identify the extent of reported and intended stigmatizing behaviour towards those with mental disorders in the Czech Republic and to compare the findings with the findings in England.
The other aim was to adopt RIBS for the Czech Republic. The RIBS was utilized as a measument tool and survey was conducted on the representative sample of the Czech population.
Results were compared with the similar survey conducted on the representative sample of English population. The extent of reported behaviour, which shows past and present experiences with those with mental health problems, turned out to be lower in the Czech Republic than in England.
The differences are statistically significant in three out of four items. On the other hand, the extent of intended stigmatizing behaviour towards those with mental health problems, turned out to be much higher in the Czech Republic, and differences between both countries are statistically significant in all four items.
The prevalence of stigmatizing behaviour in the Czech Republic is alarming. Findings of this study may serve as a solid ground for further research and support for anti-stigma interventions.