The attitude of medical students towards the mental mentally ill: the impact of a clinical attachment in Psychiatry

Alwis, Angelo de; Perera, R.; Vasantha, HL; Henegama, Thushani; Fernando, Sunera M

doi:10.4038/sljpsyc.v3i2.5132

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The positive impact of specific anti-stigma education modules was found by other authors. 10,13,20 Nevertheless this positive impact wasn't long lasting and this could be due, as stated, to contamination of negative attitudes towards the psychiatric disorders from teachers to students and negative attitudes held towards psychiatry and psychiatrists by their medical educators, among other factors that are mostly present in late medicine school years. 28,30,31 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…19 Thus some authors suggest that inclusion of a specific anti-stigma training module as part of the undergraduate training course in psychiatry may be a valid tool. 20 The present study aimed to assess the impact of psychiatric education and training on attitudes of medical students towards patients with psychiatric diagnosis comparing medical students across different years on this issue. We hypothesize that the attitudes of undergraduate medical students towards psychiatric disorders can be different depending on the year they attend, and that an anti-stigma specific module included in the 3 rd year program of our medical school, could have some impact in these attitudes.…”

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Stigma and Attitudes towards Psychiatric Patients in Portuguese Medical Students

et al. 2015

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(36,13). A melhor diferença verificou-se para a sub-escala Autoritarismo (5º ano -1º ano = 2,03), e a pior diferença verificou-se para a sub-escala Benevolência (5º ano -1º ano = 0,39). Os melhores resultados foram encontrados no final do 3º ano. Discussão: Os resultados poderão dever-se ao módulo de luta contra o estigma, incluído na disciplina de 'Introdução à Saúde Mental'. Esse efeito positivo ter-se-á perdido no 4º e 5º anos, com uma degradação das atitudes. Conclusão: Este estudo salienta a importância dos módulos de luta contra o estigma na melhoria das atitudes dos estudantes de medicina perante a saúde mental. Este tipo de acções pedagógicas preventivas com intuito anti-estigma, devem ser na melhor preparação possível de gerações médicas futuras. Palavras-chave: Atitude; Estigma Social; Estudantes de Medicina; Psiquiatria. ABSTRACT Introduction:This study aims to assess the impact of psychiatric education on attitudes of medical students towards psychiatric patients. Material and Methods:A cross-sectional survey of medical students was conducted at the biggest Portuguese medical school. The students completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire, including sociodemographic data, family history of psychiatric illness, and the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill scale. Results: Of the 2 178 students, 398 answered the survey, representing 18.2% of the whole medical school. There was a significant improvement in all Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill scale dimensions along the medical course. The higher scores were in Restrictiveness subscale (38.01), and the lower scores were for Authoritarianism (36.13). The best improvement along the course was for Authoritarianism (5 th year score -1 st year score = 2.03), and the worse was for Benevolence (5 th year score -1 st year score = 0.39). The biggest improvement, in all scores, was found at the end of the 3rd year. Discussion: The authors propose that the better attitudes found on third year students were due to a very specific anti-stigma module on the theoretical discipline 'Introduction to Mental Health'. After that, this positive effect was lost, with fourth and fifth year medical students showing a worsening of their attitudes. Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance of anti-stigma specific education modules in order to improve students' attitudes toward mental health. Thus more anti-stigma preventive measures can be taken onward, on preparing the best way possible, the next generation of doctors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Stigma and Attitudes towards Psychiatric Patients in Portuguese Medical Students

et al. 2015

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“…Hence, until such exposure, they might not have adequate experiences confronting their misconceptions about depression. Supporting this argument is evidence of a reduction of depression-related stigma among fifth year medical students in Sri Lanka subsequent to a clinical attachment in psychiatry [ 52 ]. However, contrary to this, increases in contact with such patients was not associated with a decline in stigma in other undergraduate studies, with differences in findings explained by a range of factors affecting the student’s interactions including, severity of cases, variations in the type of contact (formal vs. informal and voluntary vs. involuntary) and the attitudes held within the hospital environment [ 8 , 11 , 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stigmatising attitudes of undergraduates towards their peers with depression: a cross-sectional study in Sri Lanka

et al. 2015

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BackgroundThere is limited research examining mental health-related stigma of undergraduates in non-western developing countries. This study examined stigma of undergraduates in Sri Lanka towards another depressed undergraduate.MethodsA hypothetical vignette of an undergraduate suffering from depression was presented. A total of 4650 undergraduates responded to scales assessing their personal stigma towards and desire for social distance from this individual. Exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) was performed to determine the dimensionality and loading pattern of the items on these two stigma scales. Multiple linear regressions were used to explore correlates of the identified dimensions of stigma.ResultsPrevious findings that the Social Distance Scale forms a single dimension and that the Personal Stigma Scale consists of two dimensions were supported. However, the measurement structure of the dimensions of stigma on the latter scales, labelled ‘Weak-not-Sick’ and ‘Dangerous-Undesirable’ , differed from previous work. A high level of stigma in relation to the ‘Weak-not-Sick’ Scale was observed. However, some correlates associated with lower levels of stigma on this scale, such as being in the Medical Faculty, were associated with higher levels of stigma on the ‘Dangerous-Undesirable’ and ‘Social Distance’ scales. In contrast, labelling the problem as a mental health-related problem, with absence of specific psychiatric terminology, was associated with lower levels of stigma on these latter two scales. Exposure to a mental health problem in family or friends or from personal experience was also associated with lower stigma on the Social Distance Scale. However, the effect sizes of these relationships were small.ConclusionsThe findings highlight differences in the measurement structure and score distribution of the ‘Weak-not-Sick’ and ‘Dangerous-Undesirable’ scales when used in different cultural and demographic contexts. The dimensionality of stigma relevant to these scales must always be established prior to their use in different contexts. Furthermore, campaigns targeted at improving knowledge about depression as a real illness and as a psychiatric condition need to ensure that such attempts are not associated with increases in other aspects of stigma.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0523-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Several studies have examined stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness amongst students from both developed and developing countries [5, 8–11], but South African students have received limited attention. The general South African public is known to have stigmatizing attitudes toward mentally-ill people, especially toward individuals with substance use disorders and schizophrenia [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of a psychiatry clinical rotation on the attitude of South African final year medical students towards mental illness

et al. 2019

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Background Stigmatising attitudes of health care professionals towards mental illness can impede treatment provided for psychiatric patients. Many studies have reported undergraduate training to be a critical period for changing the attitudes of medical students, and one particularly valuable intervention strategy involves time spent in a clinical psychiatric rotation. In South Africa, medical students are exposed to a clinical rotation in psychiatry but there is no evidence to show whether this has an effect on attitudes toward mental illness. Methods This prospective cohort study involved a convenience sample of 112 South African medical students in their 5th or 6th year of undergraduate training. This sample attended a 7-week psychiatry rotation. The Attitudes to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ) was used to assess students’ attitudes toward mental illness before and after the clinical rotation which includes exposure to a number of psychiatric sub-divisions and limited didactic inputs. Results There was a significant improvement ( p < 0.01, t -test) in the students’ attitude toward mental illness following the psychiatric rotation. Females displayed a more positive attitude towards mental illness at the end of the rotation compared to males. The participants’ attitude significantly deteriorated for the non-psychiatric vignette describing diabetes (< 0.01, t -test). Conclusions Our findings suggest that clinical training and exposure to a psychiatric setting impacts positively on medical students’ attitude towards mental illness, even when this training does not include any focused, didactic anti-stigma input.

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The attitude of medical students towards the mental mentally ill: the impact of a clinical attachment in Psychiatry

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Stigma and Attitudes towards Psychiatric Patients in Portuguese Medical Students

Stigma and Attitudes towards Psychiatric Patients in Portuguese Medical Students

Stigmatising attitudes of undergraduates towards their peers with depression: a cross-sectional study in Sri Lanka

The impact of a psychiatry clinical rotation on the attitude of South African final year medical students towards mental illness

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