Correlates of explicit and implicit stigmatizing attitudes of Canadian undergraduate university students toward mental illness: A cross-sectional study

Predictors of Implicit and Explicit Internalized Stigma in a Sample With Different Mental Illness Diagnoses

ABSTRACT

This research aimed to study implicit and explicit internalized stigma and its relationship with other variables in a sample of people with distinct mental illness diagnoses ( N = 160). Descriptive analysis, mean differences, correlations, and stepwise regression models were conducted. Implicit and explicit internalized stigma was found throughout the sample with differences depending on certain sociodemographic variables. Regression models revealed symptomatology, physical environment, personality traits, references to mental illness, and the time taken to seek professional help as predictors of explicit internalized stigma. At the implicit level, only self-esteem was found as a predictor explaining a low percentage of the variance. The results obtained underline the differences between implicit and explicit stigma, suggesting different relevant variables for interventions focused on prevention and internalized stigma reduction.

Attitudes toward mental illness among medical students and impact of temperament

BACKGROUND

Mental health-related stigma is a serious problem that has undesirable consequences for individuals with mental disorders including physical health disparities, increasing mortality, and social dysfunction. Besides, these individuals frequently report feeling 'devalued, dismissed, and dehumanized' when encountering health professionals who are also perpetrators of stigmatizing attitudes and discriminatory behaviors.

AIMS

The present study concentrates on attitudes, and behavioral responses of medical students and junior doctors toward individuals with a mental illness and explores factors associated with stigma including temperament.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students and junior doctors from medical schools of universities in Tunisia. All participants were invited to complete a brief anonymous electronic survey administered on the google forms online platform. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires, Stigma Measurement, Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitudes (MICA), Assessment of Affective Temperament, TEMPS-A scale.

RESULTS

A total of 1,028 medical students and junior doctors were recruited. The completion of a psychiatry clerkship for medical students didn't improve significantly the level of stigma toward people with a mental illness. Students in the fourth year had significantly the lowest MICA scores comparing to other students. Psychiatrists had significantly lower scores of explicit stigma attitudes than the other groups (Mean score = 0.42). As for other specialties, surgical residents had more stigmatizing attitudes than those who had medical specialties. 70% of participants believed that people with a mental illness are more dangerous than the other patients. Hyperthymic temperament was significantly associated with decreased stigma attitudes toward patients with mental illness.

CONCLUSION

A combination of medical school experiences of psychiatry's theoretical learning and clerkship and wider societal beliefs are important factors that shape students. Awareness of this will enable educators to develop locally relevant anti-stigma teaching resources throughout the psychiatry curriculum to improve students' attitudes toward mental illnesses.

Public stigma profile toward mental disorders across different university degrees in the University of Valencia (Spain)

BACKGROUND

A large proportion of studies carried out in recent years in different populations have shown that stigma toward mental disorders is highly prevalent. In the present study we conducted a comprehensive assessment of stigma to describe and compare stigma toward mental disorders in students enrolled in five different university degrees.

METHODS

Three hundred and twenty-five students from the University of Valencia (Spain), attending the second term of their first-degree courses in the faculties of medicine, psychology, teaching, economics, and data science participated in this cross-sectional study. Stigma was measured using: the Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS), the Scale of Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness (CAMI), the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27), and the Knowledge about Mental Illness test (KMI).

RESULTS

We found different patterns of stigma according to gender, the fact of knowing or living with a person with mental disorders and the university degree studied. Overall, women show fewer stigmatizing attitudes than men but similar stereotypes and prejudice toward people with mental disorders. However, the pattern of results across degrees is more complex. Overall, students of medicine, psychology and teaching showed fewer stigmatizing attitudes than students of economics and data science but differences between degrees were more subtle in stereotypes and prejudice toward people with mental disorders.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests the existence of different profiles of stigma in relation to mental disorders in university students. These profiles varied in relation with the degree being studied, gender and already knowing or living with a person with mental disorders.