Are personal values of importance in the stigmatization of people with mental illness?

To investigate the relation of responses to the Schwartz Value Scale to preferred social distance to a person with either schizophrenia or depression. The influence of personal value priorities on discrimination has been investigated in several contexts, but seldom with reference to social distance towards those with mental illness.

University students (n = 200) completed the Schwartz Value Scale, as well as a measure of beliefs about mental illness and preferred social distance with reference to a vignette describing a person with either schizophrenia or depression.

Consistent with past findings, respondents indicated a preference for greater social distance for schizophrenia than depression, and beliefs about likelihood of socially inappropriate behaviour and danger were correlated with social distance. Self-transcendence value orientation was a significant independent predictor of preference for less social distance. These findings were not influenced by a social desirability bias.

Value orientation makes a significant contribution to the prediction of social distance towards those with mental illness. Evaluation of value-based interventions to reduce such discrimination appears warranted.