Public knowledge, stigma, and social acceptance toward mental illness in the Gulf region: a cross-sectional survey.

Authors

Hamad Alhamad, Najla Alsiri, Mohammad Alshehab, Mohammad Alenezi, Sheikha Alqallaf

Published in

Frontiers in psychiatry. Volume 17. Pages 1860027. Epub Jun 30, 2026.

Abstract

Mental illness stigma undermines help-seeking, treatment engagement, and social inclusion globally. Although the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region has undergone rapid social and health-system modernization, few studies have simultaneously assessed public knowledge, attitudes, and intended behaviour toward people with mental illness using validated instruments.
To examine mental-health knowledge, public stigma, and social acceptance among adults in GCC countries using the Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS), and the 40-item Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale.
An Arabic-language online survey was completed by 1, 557 adults (84.1% female; mean age = 26.2 years, SD = 10.6; 80.5% from Kuwait). Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and simultaneous-entry multiple linear regression were conducted. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω, supplemented by item-total correlations and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the CAMI.
Participants reported moderate mental-health knowledge (MAKS M = 41.6, SD = 5.9), moderately positive attitudes (CAMI M = 135.2, SD = 16.2), and moderate behavioural willingness (RIBS M = 13.1, SD = 3.2). Knowledge and attitudes were moderately correlated (r = .341, p <.001), but the association between attitudes and intended behaviour was weaker (r = .209, p <.001). In regression, social restrictiveness was the strongest predictor of behavioural engagement (β = .374, p <.001), followed by male sex (β = .098) and MAKS total (β = -.103). A confirmatory factor analysis indicated poor fit of the original four-factor CAMI structure (CFI = .673, RMSEA = .141), supporting cautious subscale-level interpretation. A supplementary regression using the more reliable CAMI total score confirmed the primary pattern. Sensitivity analyses following removal of implausible age entries and restricting to Kuwait-only participants produced substantively identical findings.
These findings, drawn from a predominantly Kuwaiti, female, and university-educated convenience sample, indicate that respondents endorsed sympathetic and recovery-oriented principles yet showed substantial hesitation regarding close social contact. The disconnect between attitudes and behavioural willingness highlights the need for culturally grounded, contact-based anti-stigma interventions that target social distance specifically, while requiring replication in more representative GCC populations.

PMID:
42454325
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.