Cross-cultural differences in depression between White British and South Asians: Causal attributions, stigma by association, discriminatory potential

Objectives Numerous facets of public and internalized mental illness stigma have been established. This study focuses on the stigma of being associated with someone with depression and cultural differences between a Western and an Eastern culture. The aim was to compare White British and South Asians living in the United Kingdom regarding their causal explanations for depression, stigma towards people with depression and stigma by association. Design A cross-sectional design. Methods White British and South Asians (N = 137) in the United Kingdom completed a survey measuring attributions about the aetiology of depression, discriminatory potential towards people with depression and stigma by association. Results Results revealed that South Asians attributed greater supernatural, moral and psychosocial causes to depression, while White British endorsed greater biological beliefs. South Asians reported a greater discriminatory potential towards people with depression (lower willingness for closeness, greater desire for social distance) than White British. They also indicated greater affective, cognitive and behavioural stigma by association. Stigma by association mediated the relationship between cultural group and willingness for closeness as well as desire for social distance. Perceived dangerousness was a mediator for willingness for closeness. Conclusions These findings suggest that a greater consideration of the role of culture in the understanding of mental health is important to combat stigma towards individuals with depression and those close to them across Western and Eastern cultures.