Caregiver Responses to Symptoms of First-Onset Psychosis: A Comparative Study of Chinese- and Euro-Canadian Families

Abstract

Considerable evidence suggests that ethnic Chinese families in Canada are reluctant to seek psychiatric treatment for a relative with mental illness. The following hypotheses were investigated: (a) longer delay in seeking treatment among Chinese versus Euro-Canadians; (b) greater burden among Chinese versus Euro-Canadians; and (c) more negative conceptions of mental illness among Chinese versus Euro-Canadians. The sample consisted of 18 Chinese Canadians and 36 Euro-Canadians experiencing a first episode of psychosis; each participant recruited a parent or sibling who responded to measures of perceived family burden and attitudes toward mental illness. Results confirmed all three hypotheses. Chinese caregivers were particularly more likely to endorse the practice of keeping mental illness a secret from others, as well as withdrawal from individuals with mental illness. These findings suggest that Chinese caregivers were more affected by the stigma of mental illness than were Euro-Canadian caregivers.