RESEARCH ARTICLE
Cultural Variations in Public Beliefs about Mental Disorders: A Comparison between Tunisia and Germany
Matthias C. Angermeyer1, 2, *, Mauro G. Carta2, Rym Ghachem3, Herbert Matschinger4, 5, Aurélie Millier6, Tarek Refai7, Georg Schomerus8, #, Mondher Toumi6, 9, #
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2020Volume: 16
Issue: Suppl-1, M2
First Page: 70
Last Page: 81
Publisher ID: CPEMH-16-70
DOI: 10.2174/1745017902016010070
Article History:
Received Date: 01/01/2019Revision Received Date: 04/02/2019
Acceptance Date: 08/02/2019
Electronic publication date: 30/07/2020
Collection year: 2020
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
In recent years there is a growing interest in public beliefs about mental disorders. Numerous representative population-based studies have been conducted around the globe, also in European countries bordering on the Mediterranean Sea. However, relatively little is known about public beliefs in countries in Northern Africa.
Objective:
To fill this gap by comparing public beliefs about mental disorders in Tunisia and Germany, focusing on causal beliefs, help-seeking recommendations and treatment preferences.
Methods:
Representative national population-based surveys have been conducted in Tunisia in 2012 (N = 811) and in Germany in 2011 (N = 1852), using the same interview mode and the same fully structured interview starting with a vignette depicting a person suffering from either schizophrenia or depression.
Results:
In Tunisia, the public was more likely to adopt psychosocial and to reject biogenetic explanations than in Germany. Correspondingly, psychological treatments were more frequently recommended and biological ones more frequently advised against. There was also a strong inclination to share religious beliefs and to recommend seeking religious advice. Tunisians tended much more than Germans to hold moralistic views and to blame the afflicted person for his or her illness. In Tunisia, the public tended less to differentiate between schizophrenia and depression than in Germany.
Conclusion:
Marked differences between Tunisia and Germany exist in public beliefs about the causes of mental disorders and their treatment, which correspond to differences in cultural orientations prevailing in these countries. Mental health professionals need to be sensitive to the particular cultural context in which they operate, in order to be able to reach those they intend to care for.
