Knowledge and preferences regarding schizophrenia among Chinese-speaking Australians in Melbourne, Australia

The aim of this study was to better understand the knowledge of schizophrenia, preferences regarding professional help, medication and treatment methods among Australians of a Chinese-speaking background.

A cluster convenience sampling method was adopted in which subjects were taken from the four main areas in cosmopolitan Melbourne where most Chinese people live. A total of 200 Chinese-speaking Australians participated in the study. They were presented with a vignette describing an individual with schizophrenia and were then asked questions to assess their understanding of schizophrenia and their preferences regarding professional help, medication and treatment methods. A comparative approach was used to compare our findings with those of a previous study on the mental health literacy of Australian and Japanese adults.

Compared with the Australian and Japanese samples, a much lower percentage of Chinese-speaking Australians (15.5%) was able to identify the vignette as a case of schizophrenia/psychosis. A higher percentage of the Chinese-speaking Australians believed that professionals, and particularly counselling professionals, could be helpful for the person in the vignette. A higher percentage of the Chinese-speaking Australian and Japanese samples believed that close family members could be helpful, and expressed more uncertainty about the usefulness or harmfulness of certain medications than the Australian sample. A higher percentage of the Chinese-speaking Australians than the Australian and Japanese samples endorsed inpatient treatment for the person in the vignette. About 22, 17, 19 and 28% of the Chinese-speaking Australian participants, respectively, rated ‘traditional Chinese medical doctors’, ‘Chinese herbal medications’, ‘taking Chinese nutritional foods/supplements’ and ‘qiqong’ as helpful. Many perceived ‘changing fungshui’ and ‘traditional Chinese prayer’ to be harmful.

Campaigns to increase the schizophrenia literacy of Chinese-speaking Australians are needed and must take into consideration the aforementioned socially and culturally driven beliefs so that culturally relevant education programmes can be developed.