Religiosity and mental health stigma among adults in Malaysia

Authors

  • Nur Syafiqa Mohd Arif Faculty of Health Sciences, Melaka International College of Science & Technology (MICoST), Malaysia
  • Salami Mutiu Olagoke Faculty Of Human Development, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22219/jipt.v12i2.32256

Keywords:

Adults, mental health stigma, multi-religious, religiosity

Abstract

This study explored religiosity's impact on mental health stigma among 451 adults of various religions in Malaysia using quantitative methods. Participants, including Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians, completed the Centrality of Religiosity and Perceived Devaluation-Discrimination scales via an online Google form. Findings indicated high religiosity and moderate mental health stigma levels overall. Pearson correlations showed no significant relationship between religiosity and stigma across all groups. However, Buddhists demonstrated a small to moderate correlation (r = 0.27, p < 0.05) between Public Practice of religiosity and stigma, while Hindus showed a similar effect (r = 0.24, p < 0.05) with Experience of religiosity. One-way ANOVA revealed no stigma differences between religious groups. Addressing mental health stigma is crucial, given its impact on help-seeking behaviors. Future research should focus on fostering inclusive attitudes towards mental illness while respecting religious beliefs.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abbasi, S. B., Kazmi, F., Wilson, N., & Khan, F. (2019). Centrality of religiosity scale (CRS) confirmatory factor analysis. Sociology International Journal, 3(4),319-324. https://doi.org/10.15406/sij.2019.03.00193

Adu, P., Jurcik, T., & Grigoryev, D. (2021). Mental health literacy in Ghana: Implications for religiosity, education and stigmatization. Transcultural Psychiatry, 58(4), 516–531. https://doi.org/10.1177/13634615211022177

Al-Natour, A., Abuhammad, S., & Al-Modallal, H. (2021). Religiosity and stigma toward patients with mental illness among undergraduate university students. Heliyon, 7(3), e06565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06565

Berry, C., Michelson, D., Othman, E., Tan, J. C., Gee, B., Hodgekins, J., Byrne, R. E., Ng, A. L., Marsh, N. V., Coker, S., & Fowler, D. (2019). Views of young people in Malaysia on Mental Health, help‐seeking and unusual psychological experiences. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 14(1), 115–123. https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.12832

Bharadwaj, P., Pai, M. M., & Suziedelyte, A. (2017). Mental health stigma. Economics Letters, 59, 57-60, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2017.06.028

Brown, C., Conner, K. O., Copeland, V. C., Grote, N., Beach, S., Battista, D., & Reynolds, C. F. (2010). Depression stigma, race, and treatment-seeking behavior and attitudes. Journal of Community Psychology, 38(3), 350–368. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20368

Caplan, S. (2019). Intersection of cultural and religious beliefs about mental health: Latinos in the faith-based setting. Hispanic Health Care International, 17(1), 4–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540415319828265

Cinnirella, M., & Loewenthal, K. M. (1999). Religious and ethnic group influences on beliefs about mental illness: A qualitative interview study. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 72(4), 505–524. https://doi.org/10.1348/000711299160202

Ghasemi, A., & Zahediasl, S. (2012). Normality tests for statistical analysis: A guide for non-statisticians. International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 10(2), 486–489. https://doi.org/10.5812/ijem.3505

Gierk, B., Löwe, B., Murray, A. M., & Kohlmann, S. (2018). Assessment of perceived mental health-related stigma: The stigma-9 questionnaire (Stig-9). Psychiatry Research, 270, 822–830. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.10.026

Haider-Markel, D. P., & Joslyn, M. R. (2008). Beliefs about the origins of homosexuality and support for gay rights: An empirical test of attribution theory. Public Opinion Quarterly, 72(2), 291–310. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfn015

Hanafiah, A. N., & Van Bortel, T. (2015). A qualitative exploration of the perspectives of mental health professionals on stigma and discrimination of mental illness in Malaysia. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 9(10), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-015-0002-1

Huber, S., & Huber, O. W. (2012). The centrality of religiosity scale (CRS). Religions, 3(3), 710–724. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel3030710

Kim, T. K. (2017). Understanding one-way ANOVA using conceptual figures. Korean Journal of Anesthesiology, 70(1), 22. https://doi.org/10.4097/kjae.2017.70.1.22

Knifton, L. (2012). Understanding and addressing the stigma of mental illness with ethnic minority communities. Health Sociology Review, 21(3), 287–298. https://doi.org/10.5172/hesr.2012.21.3.287

Koenig, H. G., & Al-Shuhaib, S. S. (2018). Religiosity and mental health in Islam. Islamophobia and Psychiatry, 55–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00512-2_5

Leeming, D. A. (2014). Monotheism. Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, 1126–1127. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_435

Link, B. G., Cullen, F. T., Struening, E., Shrout, P. E., & Dohrenwend, B. P. (1989). A modified labeling theory approach to mental disorders: An empirical assessment. American Sociological Review, 54(3), 400. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095613

Mathison, L. A. (2016). Mental health stigma in religious communities: Development of a quantitative measure (thesis). Iowa State University Digital Repository, Ames, Iowa. https://doi.org/10.31274/etd-180810-5395

Mannarini, S., & Rossi, A. (2019). Assessing mental illness stigma: A complex issue. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 2722. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02722

Peteet, J. R. (2019). Approaching religiously reinforced mental health stigma: A conceptual framework. Psychiatric Services, 70(9), 846–848. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201900005

Proudfoot, W., & Shaver, P. R. (2019). Attribution theory and the psychology of religion. The Psychology of Religion, 139–152. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429495915-11

Raaj, S., Navanathan, S., Tharmaselan, M., & Lally, J. (2021). Mental disorders in Malaysia: An increase in lifetime prevalence. BJPsych International, 18(4), 97–99. https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2021.4

Schmitt, J. (2015). Attribution theory. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management, 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118785317.weom090014

Shah & Timothy S. (2020). Malaysia religious freedom landscape Report. Religious Freedom Institute. https://religiousfreedominstitute.org/malaysia-religious-freedom-landscape-report/

Smart, N. (2023, April 20). polytheism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/polytheism

Star Media Group. (2022, March 22). Mental health cases jump nearly 200%. The Star. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro- news/2022/03/22/mental-health-cases-jump-nearly-200.

Subu, M.A., Wati, D.F., Netrida, N. et al. (2021). Types of stigma experienced by patients with mental illness and mental health nurses in Indonesia: A qualitative content analysis. Int J Ment Health Syst 15, 77 . https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-021-00502-x

Swank, J. M., & Mullen, P. R. (2017). Evaluating evidence for conceptually related constructs using bivariate correlations. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 50(4), 270–274. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2017.1339562

Switzer, B., & Boysen, G. A. (2009). The impact of religiosity and attribution theory on attitudes toward addiction and cancer. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 12(3), 241–245. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674670802428449

Wang, Z., Chen, H., Koenig, H., & Phillips, M. R. (2019). Relationship of religiosity to mental health literacy, stigma, social distance, and occupational restrictiveness in Ningxia Province, China. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 22(4), 400–415. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2019.1593338

Weiner, B., Perry, R. P., & Magnusson, J. (1988). An attributional analysis of reactions to stigmas. Journal of Personality andd Social Psychology, 55(5), 738–748. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.55.5.738

Wesselmann, E. D., & Graziano, W. G. (2010). Sinful and/or possessed? religious beliefs and mental illness stigma. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 29(4), 402–437. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2010.29.4.402

Downloads

Published

2024-08-09 — Updated on 2024-08-12

How to Cite

Arif, N. S. M., & Olagoke, S. M. (2024). Religiosity and mental health stigma among adults in Malaysia. Jurnal Ilmiah Psikologi Terapan, 12(2), 84–91. https://doi.org/10.22219/jipt.v12i2.32256

Issue

Section

Articles