Abstract

Considerable evidence suggests that ethnic Chinese families in Canada are reluctant to seek psychiatric treatment for a relative with mental illness. The following hypotheses were investigated: (a) longer delay in seeking treatment among Chinese versus Euro-Canadians; (b) greater burden among Chinese versus Euro-Canadians; and (c) more negative conceptions of mental illness among Chinese versus Euro-Canadians. The sample consisted of 18 Chinese Canadians and 36 Euro-Canadians experiencing a first episode of psychosis; each participant recruited a parent or sibling who responded to measures of perceived family burden and attitudes toward mental illness. Results confirmed all three hypotheses. Chinese care-givers were particularly more likely to endorse the practice of keeping mental illness a secret from others, as well as withdrawal from individuals with mental illness. These findings suggest that Chinese caregivers were more affected by the stigma of mental illness than were Euro-Canadian caregivers.