Mental illness stigma and its influential factors among psychiatrists in China

Purpose Mental illness stigma is a global health issue, and psychiatrists themselves may be stigmatisers of mental illness. Research on psychiatrists’ mental illness stigma has primarily been conducted in developed regions, while China, a country with a large number of people with mental illness, has a dearth of research. This study is aimed to investigate the mental illness stigma and its correlates among psychiatrists in China. Methods An online questionnaire survey was conducted among registered psychiatrists in 2022. A total of 2,442 participants were included in this study. Mental illness stigma was measured by the Perceived Devaluation-Discrimination (PDD) scale, with higher scores indicating higher levels of stigma. Linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the influential factors of mental illness stigma. Results The scores of the PDD scale, the Perceived Devaluation subscale, and the Perceived Discrimination subscale were 3.60, 3.48, and 3.69, respectively, which were higher than the mid-point (i.e. 3). Participants with higher professional titles, younger age, lower income satisfaction, and lower job satisfaction had higher scores in the PDD scale and its two subscales. Participants who had experienced a violent attack in the past year reported higher scores in the PDD scale and the Perceived Devaluation subscale. Women reported lower scores in the Perceived Devaluation subscale than men. Conclusion Psychiatrists should be considered as a vital target group in anti-stigma endeavours. Organizing anti-stigma campaigns, increasing resources in mental health care system, and improving vocational safety, can be taken to reduce mental illness stigma among psychiatrists in China.