A Study of Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill in Pohang Community

Sakong, Jeong Kyu; Chae, Jeong Uk

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study is to get basic data to develop plan and strategy of com-munity mental health in Pohang city by identifying attitudes toward mentally ill in Pohang community.
METHODS
The subjects of this study are the 491 persons aged between 20 and 59 who live in Pohang. Methods of selection for the subjects based on multistage stratified cluster sampling, i.e. by sex, by age, by place of residence("Up", "Myeon", "Dong"), and by ratio to total populations. Tool of the study is Community Attitudes to the Mentally Ill Inventory(CAMI).
RESULTS
1) The residents of Pohang community showed positive attitude in 'Benevolence' and 'Community mental health ideology' subscale and negative attitude in 'Authoritarianism' and 'Social restric-tiveness' subscale. Therefore community mental health project in Pohang city will be established and activated easily. 2) Aged group had more authoritative, social restrictive and less community mental health oriented attitude. 3) The lower educated group had more authoritative, social restrictive and less benevolent, community mental health oriented attitude. 4) The unmarried group had less authoritative, less social restrictive attitude. 5) The home-owners had more authoritative, more social restrictive attitude. 6) The opinion leaders had more authoritative and less community mental health oriented attitude. 7) The respondents whose family had used mental health services had less benevolent attitude. The respondents who themselves had used mental health services had more authoritative, less benevolent and community mental health oriented attitude.
CONCLUSIONS
Therefore, it will be necessary to give public information and education for those who have negative attitude groups of aged, low educated, home-owners, opinion leaders and respondents who themselves or whose family had used mental health services. If resource could be made of persons of positive attitude groups of younger aged, highly educated and unmarried, community mental health project will be more efficient.