Experienced and anticipated discrimination among people living with schizophrenia in China: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: Understanding the experienced and anticipated discrimination of people living with schizophrenia (PLS) in China is the cornerstone of culturally informed intervention. This study aims to describe the pattern of experienced and anticipated discrimination against PLS in China and investigate which social and illness characteristics are associated with discrimination.

Methods: PLS dwelling in community were randomly recruited from four cities across China and completed measures of experienced and anticipated discrimination by discrimination and stigma scale (version 12; DISC-12). Multivariable regression was used to analyses the correlates of experienced and anticipated discrimination.

Results: A total of 787 participants (54.0% were female) were included in the analysis. 38% of participants reported experienced discrimination and 71.4% reported anticipated discrimination. The most common experienced discrimination for PLS in China were from neighborhood, making/keeping friends, finding/keeping a job, and family. 59.3% of participants had concealed their mental illness. Living in rural areas, household poverty, longer illness duration, severer symptoms and higher level of disability were associated with more experienced discrimination. Younger ages, unemployment, higher level of disability and experienced discrimination were associated with more anticipated discrimination.

Conclusion: More than a third of PLS in China have experienced discrimination in their lives. Economically disadvantage PLS and PLS living in rural setting may experience more discrimination in China. New and culturally informed intervention approaches are needed to prevent and reduce discrimination of schizophrenia.