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Mental health literacy of autism spectrum disorders in the Japanese general population

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Abstract

Objective

We aimed to clarify the public’s mental health literacy of autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Methods

Using a vignette of a young child, 500 Japanese participants were asked their perspectives, such as causes and appropriate coping strategies. For each response from those respondents who correctly identified the child as having autism, we tested the effects of sex and generation.

Results

Two hundred twenty-nine respondents (45.8%) correctly identified the child as having autism. Significantly (P < 0.05) more females planned practical coping strategies such as contacting public agencies, whereas males had relatively more irrelevant perceptions, for example, significantly more males attributed ASD to social environment. Significantly more young respondents expected psychiatric treatments such as antipsychotic administration to be effective, and more seniors estimated low that the prevalence is approximately 0.01% or less.

Conclusions

The mental health literacy of ASD among the Japanese public appears to be acceptable but there is still much room for improvement. Females showed more accurate knowledge, possibly reflecting gender roles. Some young people are not likely to know of the impact of psychiatric treatment, and seniors appear to be unaware of the current broadened recognition of ASD. Continued efforts to disseminate accurate information are required, particularly among males.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a Research Grant from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan (H16-KOKORO-013). We thank Drs. Yoshiharu Kim, Hiroshi Kurita, Naoki Nago, Iwao Oshima, and Motoe Yamamura for their help with developing the survey sheet.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 4-1-1 Ogawa-Higashi, Kodaira, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan

    Tomonori Koyama PhD

  2. Dept. of Mental Health Administration, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan

    Hisateru Tachimori PhD, Asuka Koyama PhD, Yoichi Naganuma PhD & Tadashi Takeshima MD, PhD

  3. Research Dept., Institute for Health Economics and Policy, Tokyo, Japan

    Kanae Sawamura PhD

  4. Division of Social Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Urban Liberal Arts, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan

    Hazuki Makino PhD

Authors
  1. Tomonori Koyama PhD
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  2. Hisateru Tachimori PhD
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  3. Kanae Sawamura PhD
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  4. Asuka Koyama PhD
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  5. Yoichi Naganuma PhD
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  6. Hazuki Makino PhD
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  7. Tadashi Takeshima MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tomonori Koyama PhD.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Vignette of autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

Person A is 33 years old. Person A’s child is now 3 years old, but does not speak much. Also, the child does not communicate by pointing, body gestures, or facial expressions. For example, if the child wants to open a door, the child will grab an adult’s hand to open the door.

The child is going to preschool, but does not seem interested in the teachers or other children. The child always plays alone with toy trains. When the preschool teacher tries to play with the child, the child tries to move away from the teacher.

Every morning the child steps on a manhole cover in front of the house before going to preschool. One morning a car was parked on the manhole, and the child could not step on the manhole cover. The child began to cry hysterically and refused to go to preschool.

Person A is very worried about the child’s behaviors.

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Koyama, T., Tachimori, H., Sawamura, K. et al. Mental health literacy of autism spectrum disorders in the Japanese general population. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 44, 651–657 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-008-0485-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-008-0485-z

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