Assessing attitudes of fourth year medical students towards psychiatry and mental illness

Abstract

Background: Research revealed a high prevalence of negative attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness among medical students prior to formal psychiatric education. Anti-stigma interventions at the medical student level have been postulated to reduce the risk of negative attitudes, which may drive stigmatization impacting recruitment into training posts and overall medical care.Aim: To determine the prevalence of negative attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness in a sample of fourth-year medical students prior to formal psychiatric teaching. To ascertain possible sociodemographic correlations with findings.Setting: The University of the Witwatersrand.Methods: A cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive study was conducted using the Mental Illness: Clinicians’ Attitudes Scale 2 questionnaire and a socio-demographic questionnaire.Results: Of the total scores, 97.2% participants fell below the median potential score of 56, reflecting a low prevalence of stigmatising attitudes. The African cohort expressed less interest in psychiatry (P=0.0017), compared to other race cohorts (ranging from 92.1% to 100.0%).Conclusion: This study revealed a low prevalence of negative and stigmatising attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness. Of statistical significance, was a relative difference in attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness in different race cohorts (P=0.0017); however, overall race cohorts showed a low prevalence of negative and stigmatising attitudes towards psychiatry.Contribution: This study creates awareness of the impact factors on attitudes of medical students towards mental illness and specialization in psychiatry.