IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v69y2023i6p1453-1461.html

Experiences of care-seeking by schizophrenia patients with delayed diagnosis and treatment in rural China: A qualitative study

Author

Listed:
  • Xiao-qing Wang
  • Yu Wang
  • Kai Yu
  • Rui Ma
  • Jia-yuan Zhang
  • Yu-qiu Zhou

Abstract

Background: Patients with schizophrenia in rural areas of China face severe delays in getting appropriate treatment due to poverty, transportation, and limited availability of mental healthcare services. However, the experiences of care-seeking among patients with delayed diagnosis and treatment in rural areas remain poorly understood, and it remains unclear how these experiences influence patients’ medical mistrust or expectations of care. This study aims to fill that void. Methods: We applied a qualitative phenomenological method. Patients were recruited through purposive sampling at a psychiatric hospital in Harbin, China. Semi-structured, one-to-one interviews were conducted, guided by an interview outline. Thematic analysis was performed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Results: Data saturation was achieved after interviewing 13 participants aged 21 to 53 years. Three themes with eight subthemes were identified: (i) Barriers to seeking care, (ii) Feelings for psychiatric treatment, and (iii) Demand for mental healthcare. Several factors that may impede the timely diagnosis and treatment were identified, including patients, physicians, and institutions. The participants described their feelings of adverse treatment experiences, as well as expectations arising from this process. It predominantly covers awareness of the disease, supportive access to care, and geographic accessibility of services. Conclusion: Patients with delayed diagnosis and treatment in rural areas often have negative experiences and various needs for mental health services in the pursuit of effective treatments. Policymakers and health planners should seriously consider the current challenges in rural mental healthcare to develop comprehensive strategies for improving prehospital delays and medical experience for this group of patients.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiao-qing Wang & Yu Wang & Kai Yu & Rui Ma & Jia-yuan Zhang & Yu-qiu Zhou, 2023. "Experiences of care-seeking by schizophrenia patients with delayed diagnosis and treatment in rural China: A qualitative study," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(6), pages 1453-1461, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:69:y:2023:i:6:p:1453-1461
    DOI: 10.1177/00207640231164010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00207640231164010
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00207640231164010?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mur-Veeman, Ingrid & Hardy, Brian & Steenbergen, Marijke & Wistow, Gerald, 2003. "Development of integrated care in England and the Netherlands: Managing across public-private boundaries," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(3), pages 227-241, September.
    2. Nicaise, Pablo & Dubois, Vincent & Lorant, Vincent, 2014. "Mental health care delivery system reform in Belgium: The challenge of achieving deinstitutionalisation whilst addressing fragmentation of care at the same time," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(2), pages 120-127.
    3. Bou-Yong Rhi & Kyoo-Seob Ha & Yong-Sik Kim & Yuji Sasaki & Derson Young & Tai-Hwang Woon & Lourna T.R. Laraya & Yang Yanchun, 1995. "The Health Care Seeking Behavior of Schizophrenic Patients in 6 East Asian Areas," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 41(3), pages 190-209, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Saifon Aekwarangkoon & Naiyana Noonil, 2022. "Psychiatric patients’ experience in receiving services provided by non-specialist community nurses, southern Thailand," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(4), pages 860-865, June.
    2. Kovess-Masfety, V. & Rabaté, L. & Caby, D. & Nicaise, P., 2023. "French mental health care system: Analysis of care utilisation patterns and the case for a stepped care approach," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    3. L. Garattini & Marco Badinella Martini, 2023. "Modeling European health systems: a theoretical exercise," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 24(8), pages 1249-1252, November.
    4. Livio Garattini & Marco Badinella Martini & Alessandro Nobili, 2022. "Integrated Care in Europe: Time to Get it Together?," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 145-147, March.
    5. Nicaise, Pablo & Giacco, Domenico & Soltmann, Bettina & Pfennig, Andrea & Miglietta, Elisabetta & Lasalvia, Antonio & Welbel, Marta & Wciórka, Jacek & Bird, Victoria Jane & Priebe, Stefan & Lorant, Vi, 2020. "Healthcare system performance in continuity of care for patients with severe mental illness: A comparison of five European countries," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 25-36.
    6. Mur-Veeman, Ingrid & van Raak, Arno & Paulus, Aggie, 2008. "Comparing integrated care policy in Europe: Does policy matter," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 172-183, February.
    7. Adeline Grard & Pablo Nicaise & Pierre Smith & Vincent Lorant, 2022. "Use of generic social services and social integration of patients with a severe mental illness in Belgium: Individual and services network determinants," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(5), pages 1090-1099, August.
    8. Nickel, Stefan & Thiedemann, Birgit & von dem Knesebeck, Olaf, 2010. "The effects of integrated inpatient health care on patient satisfaction and health-related quality of life: Results of a survey among heart disease patients in Germany," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(2-3), pages 156-163, December.
    9. Hannemann-Weber, Henrike & Kessel, Maura & Schultz, Carsten, 2012. "Research performance of centers of expertise for rare diseases—The influence of network integration, internal resource access and operational experience," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(2), pages 138-145.
    10. Kun Wang & Yongjian Ke & Shankar Sankaran & Bo Xia, 2021. "Problems in the home and community‐based long‐term care for the elderly in China: A content analysis of news coverage," International Journal of Health Planning and Management, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(5), pages 1727-1741, September.
    11. Iga Rudawska, 2015. "Chronic Patients’ Values Associated to Continuity of Care – the Results of Qualitative Study (Wartosci przypisywane ciaglosci opieki przez pacjentów przewlekle chorych – wyniki badania jakosciowego)," Problemy Zarzadzania, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management, vol. 13(53), pages 196-215.
    12. Lettieri, Emanuele & Bartoli, Laura & Masella, Cristina, 2013. "Coordinating intra-sector services in healthcare: Requirements and elements that managers should take into account," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 591-601.
    13. Petrea, Ionela & Shields-Zeeman, Laura & Keet, Rene & Nica, Raluca & Kraan, Karel & Chihai, Jana & Condrat, Victoria & Curocichin, Ghenadie, 2020. "Mental health system reform in Moldova: Description of the program and reflections on its implementation between 2014 and 2019," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 83-88.
    14. van Wijngaarden, Jeroen D.H. & de Bont, Antoinette A. & Huijsman, Robbert, 2006. "Learning to cross boundaries: The integration of a health network to deliver seamless care," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(2-3), pages 203-213, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:69:y:2023:i:6:p:1453-1461. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.