Social Perceptions About Community Life with People with Mental Illness: Study of a Discharge Program in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

• Published in: Community mental health journal Vol. 51; no. 1; pp. 103 - 110
• Main Authors: Ardila-Gómez, Sara, Ares-Lavalle, Guadalupe, Fernández, Marina, Hartfiel, María Isabel, Borelli, Mariana, Canales, Valeria, Stolkiner, Alicia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.01.2015; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Argentina; Attitude to Health; Attitudes; Brief Report; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Community and Environmental Psychology; Community health care; Community Mental Health Services; Female; Group Homes; Human rights; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental disorders; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental health care; Mental Illness; Middle Aged; Neighborhoods; Neighbors; Perceptions; Provinces; Psychiatry; Reform; Residence Characteristics; Social Acceptance; Social Perception; Social psychology; Sociocultural Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Urban Population; Young Adult; Argentina; Mentally ill persons; Social perception; Community mental health services; Community integration
• ISSN: 0010-3853; 1573-2789
• DOI: 10.1007/s10597-014-9753-4

Effects of living near people with mental illness in community settings have been researched as part of psychiatric reform evaluation. However, these studies have been carried out mostly in industrialized countries, where social contexts differ from those in which psychiatric reform is now being implemented. To analyze the effects of community life with people with mental illness in the neighborhoods in which they live, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A questionnaire was administered to randomly-selected neighbors of group homes of a discharge program and an equivalent control area (n = 236). Data was analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Significant differences were found between being a neighbor and having a high degree of acceptance toward people with mental illness. In addition, significant associations were found between neighbors having a high-perceived social cohesion and having a high level of acceptance toward the mentally ill. Living near people with mental illness is associated with better acceptance toward them; these results are congruent with those results found in other cultural contexts.