The Vanishing Voices of Chinese Elderly: Exploring the Construction of Alzheimer’s Patients’ Image and Public Attitudes in Films

With a demographic aging phenomenon, a growing number of people are being afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease (AD). One of the main obstacles preventing people from being diagnosed and treated early is the stigma of AD. China is particularly affected by this issue, and it has become a matter of significant importance that demands immediate attention. Although stigma is universal across cultures, it may be experienced differently in different social contexts, depending on the particular cultural patterns that influence it. Accordingly, the film is an effective medium for transmitting local cultural values, and can transcend just words to bring cultural resonance to the audience through visuals and sound. Therefore, this study examines Chinese films related to Alzheimer’s disease as the research subject, employing the stigma model and culture-specific threat theory to conduct a qualitative analysis of the movie plots. The primary focus of this study is to explore which Chinese cultural factors are incorporated into these films, how these factors influence the formation of Alzheimer’s-related stigma within the movie scenes, and how they are expressed through language, such as labeling, perpetuating stereotypes, and engaging in exclusionary behaviors. Ultimately, the study aims to identify the specific stigmas that are formed in China.

Based on an analysis of textual plots and images in the films, this study illustrates in detail how different stigmas (family burden, dotard, empty shell, losing face) are revealed when the most fundamental cultural values are threatened (filial piety, collectivism, reciprocity, face). In addition, this study integrates visual grammar theory to analyze how the stigmas in these films portray the image of patients to the audience and discusses the impact of these portrayals on the dissemination of Alzheimer’s-related stigma within Chinese society. The discussion shows that stigma in Mainland China is heavily influenced by the degree of threat to one’s basic cultural norms of life. When cultural products such as films underscore the threats that AD may pose to cultural norms without providing adequate measures to mitigate these cultural threats, stigma tends to spread among the audience. Consequently, this study concludes that although Chinese films addressing AD may enhance audience awareness of the condition, they contribute minimally to the reduction of stigma. Indeed, they may inadvertently reinforce patient-related stereotypes and further disseminate AD stigma. Future research should focus on empirically verifying the type and extent of stigma propagation in Chinese society.