農村人의 精神疾患에 대한 認識과 態度 = KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE TOWARD MENTAL ILLNESS IN A KOREAN RURAL COMMUNITY

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

In this opinion survey at a rural community in Korea the authors have tried to seek for a changing pattern of public knowledge and attitude toward mental illness from the viewpoint of acculturation. The survey was conducted to 288 adult subjects residing in two villages of Ui-sung-gun, Kyong-buk with structured interview form of Terashima version originally constructed by Star. The materials of a previous study from 292 adult subjects, born in urban areas and resided in Seoul at least for the past 10 years were used in this study for comparison. Age and educational level of both groups were duely controlled.
Identification rates of the rural subjects for Star's three hypothetical cases were 39% for paranoid schizophrenia, 18% for simple schizophrenia, and 10% for alcoholism, whereas those of the urban subjects were 86%, 34%, and 20% respectively. Educational level seemed to be positively proportional to the identification rate. Psychotic patient was perceived as dangerous, not understandable and violent person in 40% of rural subjects and in 42% of the urban, as lonesome person in 26% and 18% respectively, and as having deep-seated mental trouble in 9% and 30% respectively. Sharp contrasts were seen in this feeling among groups of different age and education; the younger in age, the more prevalent tendency that psychotic person is dangerous, not understandable and violent, whereas the higher in education, the more psychologically oriented having deep-seated mental trouble. Neurotic person was perceived as the physically weak in 57% of rural subjects and 17% in the urban, and as mild mental disease in 7% of the rural and in 48% of the urban. The older in age and lower in education, the somatically oriented. The younger in age and the higher in education, the more psychologically oriented. Prognostic view of mental illness in rural community was more pessimistic than in the urban, whereas their expectation for psychiatric treatment was more affirmative. The older in age and higher in education, the more humanistic and optimistic in attitude.
Consequently, cultural influence on knowledge and attitude toward mental illness could be tentatively hypothesized as followings. 1) Heavier the influence of traditional culture, the lower the public recognition and the more somatically oriented in the concept of mental illness. The influence of traditional culture facilitates more affirmative and humanistic attituaes for the mental illness. 2) The heavier the influence of Western culture, the higher the public recognition and the more psychologically oriented in the concept of mental illness. 3) Intermediate group between traditional and Western cultures seems to misunderstand and be more negative in attitude toward mental illness. The authors expect these hypotheses to be tested in the forth-coming studies.