Causation beliefs and stigma against depression: results from a population-based study

The results of studies on perceived causes and stigma have been varied and inconsistent, with no studies examining this relationship in Canada. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between biological, psychosocial, and medical causal beliefs in depression and stigma against depression.

We randomly recruited participants in Alberta, aged 18-74 (n=3047, response rate 75.2%), for a cross-sectional telephone survey between February and June 2006, using random digit dialing. Participants were presented with a case vignette describing a depressed individual and responded to a personal stigma and depression causation questionnaire. Stigma scores were analyzed using Wald tests and multivariate logistic regression.

Nearly all respondents endorsed a psychosocial (99.1%) or genetic (96.4%) cause of depression. Participants who endorsed genetic cause of depression had a lower mean stigma scores than others. Logistic regression modeling showed that endorsing depression due to "being a nervous person" was associated with increased odds of having stigmatizing attitudes.

Recall and social desirability response biases were possible due to reliance on self report.

It is encouraging that 99% of participants endorsed a psychosocial cause of depression. There is no evidence that endorsing a biological cause of depression could increase stigma. To disseminate scientific knowledge in the process of mental health education and promotion, language shall be carefully crafted to avoid unnecessary stigma.