Experiences of Stigma and Discrimination among Caregivers of Persons with Schizophrenia in China: A Field Survey

In China, caregivers for family members with schizophrenia play an important role in treatment and recovery but may experience stigma and discrimination simply because of their family relationship. The object of this study was to measure the degrees and correlates of stigma and discrimination experiences among this group. Four hundred twenty-seven caregivers participated in this hospital-based and cross-sectional study in Ningbo and Guangzhou, China. Data were collected by trained interviewers using fixed questionnaires. Stigma and discrimination experiences were measured by the Modified Consumer Experiences of Stigma Questionnaire (MCESQ). Caregivers ’ social support was measured by the Social Support Rating Scale. Parametric analysis, nonparametric analysis and multivariate linear regression were used. The mean (SD) score of MCESQ was 2.44(0.45), 2.91(0.71) for stigma experiences and 1.97(0.37) for discrimination experiences on a five-point score (‘‘1 = never’ ’ and ‘‘5 = very often’’). Approximately 65 % of caregivers reported that they tried to conceal their family members ’ illness, and 71 % lacked the support of friends. The experience of stigma was significantly negatively associated with the perceived social support of caregivers (standard b=20.2,p,0.001). Caregivers who were children of th