Uz teškoće u svakodnevnom djelovanju zbog simptoma svojih bolesti psihički bolesnici se moraju suočiti i s osjećajem odbačenosti od drugih ljudi, a sve zbog straha od njihovih nepredvidivih reakcija. Cilj ovog istraživanja je utvrditi razlike u znanjima i stavovima o stigmatizaciji psihičkih bolesnika u odnosu na vrstu zanimanja (zdravstveni, nezdravstveni djelatnici i psihijatrijsko osoblje), razinu obrazovanja (osnovno-srednjoškolsko obrazovanje, dodiplomska i sveučilišna diploma), spol i psihijatrijski hereditet u obitelji. Na uzorku od 243 ispitanika [namjernog uzorka zdravstvenih radnika (23,4%), nezdravstvenih radnika (49%) i psihijatrijskog osoblja (27,6%)], heterogenih prema sociodemografskim obilježjima) ispitani su znanje i stavovi prema psihičkim bolesnicima. U istraživanju je primijenjena Revidirana ljestvica za mjerenje stavova prema psihičkim bolesnicima izrađena prema ljestvici Ljetne škole studenata psihologije 2003. te Ljestvica znanja o psihičkim bolesnicima (SZPB) preuzeta iz istraživanja Jokić-Begić, Kamenov, Lauri Korajlija, 2005. Rezultati su pokazali da psihijatrijsko osoblje ima veće znanje o karakteristikama mentalno oboljelih pojedinaca, liječenju te o nastanku mentalnih bolesti od zdravstvenog i nezdravstvenog osoblja, a kod muškaraca samo od zdravstvenih radnika. Nezdravstveno i zdravstveno osoblje više od psihijatrijskog osoblja vjeruje da su s njima poželjni neposredni kontakti, osim kod muškaraca gdje nisu pronađene razlike. Obrazovaniji ispitanici imaju veće znanje o psihičkim bolestima i smatraju u većoj mjeri da su psihički bolesnici radno sposobni i ugodni, kao i da su s njima poželjni neposredni kontakti. Manje obrazovani ispitanici u većoj mjeri vjeruju da psihički bolesnici zaslužuju poštovanje i suosjećanje kao ravnopravni članovi društva. Značajne su razlike dobivene između ispitanika sa psihološkim hereditetom i bez psihijatrijskog herediteta u odnosu na jedan od aspekata stava. Ispitanici bez psihijatrijskog herediteta smatraju da osobe sa psihičkom bolesti zaslužuju više poštovanja i suosjećanja.Rezultati pružaju okvirne smjernice potrebne za oblikovanje procesa destigmatizacije psihičkih bolesnika u populaciji zdravstvenih i nezdravstvenih stručnjaka, kao i osobama različitog stupnja obrazovanja, posebno onima koji rade s mentalno oboljelim pacijentima ili stupaju s njima u kontakt nakon hospitalizacije./ With functional problems resulting from the symptoms of their illness, people with mental illness also face the feeling of being rejected by other people, partly because of the fear of their specific and unpredictable reactions. The objective of this study was to determine the differences in knowledge and attitudes regarding psychiatric patients affecting their stigmatization, with respect to the type of employment (health and non-health professionals and psychiatric personnel), level of education (elementary and secondary school, undergraduate degree, university degree), gender, and psychiatric heredity in the family. We used a sample of 243 respondents (intentional s...

In Croatia, the process of deinstitutionalization of childcare is underway, and it should increase the placement of children in non-institutional forms of care such as foster care. The aim of the study was to examine attitudes towards foster care and child separation among school and adult mental health professionals. The sample consisted of 159 respondents (employees of elementary schools in Kutina, Popovača and Velika Ludina and employees of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital “Dr. Ivan Barbot” in Popovača). The survey covered all relevant sociodemographic variables, and the Scale of Attitudes Towards Separation of Children from Family and the Attitudes Towards Foster Care Scale were used to examine attitudes [Kamenov, Sladovic Franz & Ajdukovic, 2005]. In the sample examined, attitudes to foster care and separation are slightly positive, indicating that there is plenty of room for activities aimed at empowering these views. If further attitudes are to be strengthened, therefore the population of potential future foster parents is also expected to expand. It is important to highlight the role of healthcare professionals involved in the mental health care of foster children and to consider their role in modifying general attitudes towards foster care for children and their role in building an optimal foster care system.

Homeostasis is important for maintaining balance and normal functioning of the organism. Allostatic mechanisms further help to establish this balance. If the body is under stress for a longer period, a complex condition in the body called allostatic load occurs. If such a load lasts longer, the risk of developing diseases increases significantly. This study was conducted anonymously with the aim of determining the health status of male and female nurses in the Neuropsychiatric hospital “Dr. Ivan Barbot” in Popovača and their exposure to everyday stressors in the workplace. The main purpose was to examine the relationship between stress and the health status of nurses in relation to gender, age, and seniority. A total of 142 nurses participated. The Health Questionnaire and Workplace Stress Questionnaire were used. The results showed that the most common diseases nurses suffer from are cardiovascular diseases, thyroid diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, and allergies. Women showed higher sensitivity to stress than men. The most common stressors faced by nurses in the workplace are inadequate personal income, inadequate workspace and material resources for work, lack of staff, daily contingencies, 24-hour responsibility, and administrative work. This study found an association between age and, consequently, work experience with the likelihood of illness, although both the healthy and the sick perceive equal levels of stress. One disadvantage of this study is that it covers a large area and deals with general issues, but it can certainly be a starting point for further research. Many questions remain open, which means there is a need for further research and study of the link between stress and illness.

Apart from functional problems that arise from the fact that they belong to certain vulnerable social categories (individuals with chronic illnesses and conditions, individuals belonging to minorities and marginalized groups, etc.), members of these groups also face the feeling of distancing and/or rejection by others, including health professionals. The main purpose of this research is to determine social distances towards alcoholics compared with other high-risk social groups and to check for possible differences in social distances (and stigmatization) of alcoholics with regard to gender and occupation type. On a sample of 230 respondents (a deliberate sample of health and non-health professionals, heterogeneous by socio-demographic characteristics), using the Bogardus social distance scale, we investigated social distances for certain social groups: drug addicts, alcoholics, homosexuals, mentally ill individuals and individuals with physical disabilities. The results have shown that individuals with physical disabilities are the least stigmatized group, while the most stigmatized are drug addicts, with alcoholics being second according to social distance. A similar trend was also found in groups of subjects of different sex as well as different types of occupation, with an exception that alcoholics were the most stigmatized group among health professionals, while drug addicts were second most stigmatized group. Sexual differences in social distance towards alcoholics have not been confirmed, nor the differences between the two observed groups of occupations. The research results provide the basic guidelines needed to design the process of destigmatization of alcoholics, as well as other vulnerable social groups studied, in the populations of both health and non-health professionals of both sexes.