A multicentric study on stigma towards people with mental illness in health sciences students

The effects of a psychiatric clerkship on stigmatizing attitudes toward mental disorders as held by German medical students

Background

According to the United Nations, access to medical care is a fundamental human right. However, there is widespread stigmatization of severe mental illnesses and this appears to seriously hamper the quality of healthcare in people with psychiatric co-morbidity. Thus, interventions that help reduce stigma among healthcare providers are urgently needed.

Purpose

The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of a psychiatric clerkship on stigmatizing attitudes toward mental disorders held by medical students.

Methods

Between 2018 and 2019, a total of 256 third- and fourth-year students from Marburg University Medical School (Germany) completed two surveys-one before and one after a 2 week clerkship program that was designed to prioritize direct interaction with the patients. For measuring stigma, the questionnaires contained questions about students' attitudes toward psychiatry (ATP), including the Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers (OMS-HC), Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI), and measurements according to the Stereotype-Content Model (SCM). We conducted pre-vs.-post comparisons using the Wilcoxon signed rank test with continuity correction or paired t-test and employed the Spearman method for correlational analysis. We considered p < 0.05 significant and adjusted all p-values reported here using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure to account for family-wise error.

Results

After the clerkship, a significantly reduced stigma was found, as assessed with ATP (mean p < 0.001), OMS-HC (sum and subscale "attitudes" p < 0.001; subscale "disclosure" p = 0.002), and both SCM subscales (p < 0.001). Moreover, we observed significant associations between stigma expression (e.g., OMS-HC sum) and the willingness of students to choose psychiatric residency after finishing medical school (before clerkship: p < 0.001; ρ = -0.35; change after clerkship: p = 0.004; ρ = -0.2).

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that a psychiatric clerkship that involves students in direct interaction with patients may effectively reduce stigma. Therefore, we advocate the incorporation of components of direct interaction in medical education to combat stigma and unequal treatment, as this could improve outcomes in patients with severe mental illnesses.

Stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness: A cross-sectional survey of Australian medical students

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to assess the degree of stigmatizing attitudes and psychological distress amongst Australian medical students in order to better understand factors that may impact help-seeking behaviours of students. We hypothesize that sociodemographic factors will not significantly predict stigmatizing attitudes, and increasing levels of psychological distress will be associated with increasing stigma.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was distributed to medical students at Western Australian universities and members of the Australian Medical Students' Association. Stigma was scored using the Mental Illness Clinicians' Attitudes (MICA-2) scale. Psychological distress was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Participants provided information about gender, age, spirituality, financial hardship, treatment for mental illness, and experience in psychiatry.

RESULTS

There were 598 responses. The mean (Standard Deviation) MICA-2 score was 36.8 (7.5) out of a maximum of 96, and the mean (SD) HADS depression score was 4.7 (3.7). The mean (SD) HADS anxiety score was 9.3 (4.4). Past or current treatment for a mental illness was associated with lower MICA-2 scores. There was no association between MICA-2 and HADS scores, or sociodemographic factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate relatively low MICA-2 scores and high HADS-A scores overall, with no association between HADS scores and stigma.

Evaluation of US Medical Student Bias Toward Mental Health Before and After First-Year Pre-clinical Psychiatry Education

OBJECTIVE

Much of mental health care is provided by non-psychiatric providers, and unfortunately, bias toward patients with mental health conditions leads to worsened outcomes. The authors endeavored to determine if pre-clinical medical student psychiatry education had an impact on these perceptions.

METHODS

All 366 first-year medical students at Indiana University were invited to participate in a survey that consisted of the Mental Illness: Clinician's Attitudes version 2 (MICA-2) and six supplemental questions, pre- and post-course.

RESULTS

One hundred seventeen students completed both surveys. The pre- and post-course means were 36.6 and 33.6, a change of - 2.9 (paired t-test p-value < 0.001), indicating a reduction in bias.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that pre-clinical education can lead to a measurable decrease in bias in medical students early in training. Unfortunately, individual question results and free responses continue to highlight significant bias in US medical students against mental illness and the field of psychiatry. Health care educators should be aware of these biases and their potential impact on patient outcomes so that these harmful perceptions can be targeted.

The Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of First-Episode Psychosis: A Pilot and Feasibility Non-Randomised Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

Mental-health-related stigma prevents active help seeking and therefore early therapeutic approaches and the recovery of functionality. National and international agencies recommend the implementation of prevention and mental health promotion programs that support the elimination of stigma in the classroom, since most mental health problems usually start in the adolescent stage. In view of the evidence that teachers present stigmatizing attitudes towards mental health, it has been considered as convenient to carry out an anti-stigma program with the main objective of evaluating the impact of an intervention based on the education and promotion of mental health, aimed at teachers and counsellors of a secondary school. The specific objectives were to get to know which were the most stigmatising attitudes that prevailed in the sample before and after the intervention; to evaluate the knowledge of the teaching staff and counsellors on psychosis before the intervention; to analyse correlations between clinically relevant variables; and assess whether this programme was beneficial and feasible for alphabetising counsellors/teachers of educational centres on stigma and FEP.

METHODS

This was a non-randomised clinical trial in which a nursing intervention was performed.

TOOLS

a psychosis test (pre), Stigma Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27) (pre-post), and satisfaction survey (post) were used. The inferential analysis included the Wilcoxon and the Pearson Correlation Test.

RESULTS

In the sample (n = 22), the predominant stigmatising attitude was "Help". The p-values obtained in the Wilcoxon Test were statistically significant, except for "Responsibility" and "Pity". The following constructs of interest were faced: "Fear"-"Age" and "Professional experience"; and "Help"-"Psychosis test".

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the scores obtained in "Responsibility" and "Pity", the intervention was useful for reducing stigma in the sample. Implications for the profession: There are adolescents who have suffered stigma from their teachers, and consequently have minimized their symptoms and not asked for help. For this reason, we implemented a nursing intervention based on the education and promotion of mental health, with the aim of expanding knowledge and reducing stigma. In fact, this intervention, which we carried out on high school teachers, managed to reduce the majority of stigmatizing attitudes measured on the stigma attribution scale.

Assessing Stigma towards Mental Illness in Relation to Demographics Attitudes and Past Experiences among Pharmacy Students in a Jordanian University Sample

Stigma towards mental illness poses a significant risk for negative mental health outcomes. Efforts have been undertaken to mitigate self-stigma and stigmatizing behaviors among the public; however, few have considered stigma among healthcare providers, including pharmacists. This study aimed to assess the level of stigma towards mental illness, using the 15-item version of the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), and associated factors among pharmacy students and was conducted via a printed questionnaire. A total of 125 students participated and the mean total stigma score was 47.9 with 58.4% of the participants scoring above 45, the midpoint of the possible range of scores. The stigma score was independent of participant demographics, except for grade point average. Higher total stigma scores were observed among subjects who have been prescribed a neuropsychiatric drug before, those who believe that pharmacists should have a role in mental healthcare, those who believe that pharmacists are qualified enough to provide mental health support, and those who are willing to seek help from a pharmacist. The results indicate an overall high stigma score among pharmacy students, which highlights the importance of enhancing pharmacy students' awareness and knowledge regarding mental healthcare through incorporating additional courses and/or training programs in pharmacy education curricula.

Effectiveness of an intervention to reduce stigma towards people with a mental disorder diagnosis in university students of healthcare careers

Students in healthcare careers present stigma towards people with psychiatric diagnoses, so the development of interventions to reduce it is essential. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce stigma towards people diagnosed with mental disorders in healthcare students in Chile. A randomized clinical trial with a before and after measurement was carried out. The intervention was part of a compulsory course and combined educational and contact strategies. A total of 244 fourth-semester students of medicine, nursing, dentistry, obstetrics, psychology, and social work participated. The intervention was effective in reducing stigmatizing attitudes and the desire for social distance. For almost all variables, the magnitude of the stigma reduction depended on the initial level of stigma, not on the profession. The intervention had positive effects on all careers. In conclusion, incorporating a stigma reduction intervention into mandatory professional training, with the active participation of the teacher in charge and experts by experience, can be a valuable tool to promote humanized and non-stigmatizing treatment.

The influence of patient-centered teaching on medical students' stigmatization of the mentally ill

Aim

Stigmatization by healthcare workers poses a challenge to providing care to the mentally ill. Bedside teaching during undergraduate medical education offers students an opportunity to directly interact with patients with a range of psychiatric disorders and thereby gather reflective experience. The present study investigates if this supervised contact with mentally ill patients during a one-week clinical course on psychosomatic medicine leads to stigma reduction in medical students. The factors influencing stigmatization were also investigated.

Method

This was a prospective, non-randomized, controlled interventional study done in the 2019/20 winter semester involving fourth-year medical students who attended a week-long practical block on psychosomatic medicine (intervention group). This group was compared to students who had attended a week-long practical block with a somatic focus during the same time period (control group). Stigmatization was measured before and immediately upon completion of the week using the MICA-4 scale. Data on age, sex, experience with the mentally ill, interest in psychiatry/psychosomatics, and sense of self-worth were also gathered prior to starting the practical block. Analysis of the sample of 143 students with a complete basic data set was carried out using mixed ANOVA, multiple linear regression and moderator analysis.

Results

In the context of clinical teaching with psychiatric patients, the stigmatization of the mentally ill among medical students decreased significantly more in the intervention group compared to the students in the control group who received instruction on somatic topics (p=.019, η2p=.04). In addition, being female, having previous experience with the mentally ill and general interest in the subjects of psychiatry or psychosomatics at T0 associated with lower stigma. In contrast, stigmatization was increased at the beginning of the study in males and those with low self-esteem. A moderating effect of the factors on stigma reduction was not seen.

Conclusion

Undergraduate clinical instruction that enables direct contact and reflective experiences with the mentally ill leads to a reduction in the stigmatizing attitudes held by medical students toward the mentally ill. This underscores the need to have practical clinical instruction using patients.

Bringing Psychology Students Closer to People with Schizophrenia at Pandemic Time: A Study of a Distance Anti-stigma Intervention With In-presence Opportunistic Control Group

Psychology students are a target population to increase the likelihood that Persons With Schizophrenia (PWS) will receive evidence-based psycho-social interventions in the future. The willingness of future psychologists to care for PWS can be supported through anti-stigma educational interventions. During the pandemic, university education was delivered largely at-distance, which was later combined with in-presence education. This study explored whether an At-Distance Educational Intervention (ADEI), addressing stigma in schizophrenia via scientific evidence and testimony: would improve psychology students' views of PWS, at the one-month post intervention re-assessments; would be more effective of the same In-Presence Educational Intervention (IPEI). ADEI was delivered online to students of two Master's degrees in Psychology at the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy. IPEI was administered to a similar group of 76 students in the pre-pandemic era. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire about their views on schizophrenia before the intervention (two three-hour sessions one week apart) and one month after its completion. Compared to their pre-intervention assessments, at post-intervention reassessments the 65 ADEI students were: more confident in the recovery and the usefulness of psychological therapies; surer of the PWS awareness and capability to report health problems to professionals; more skeptical about PWS dangerousness, social distance, and affective difficulties; more uncertain on the opportunity to discriminate PWS in hospital and psychology practices. ADEI was more effective than IPEI in five of the ten dimensions analyzed and similarly effective in the remaining others. ADEI may represent a valuable alternative to IPEI for improving future psychologists' view of PWS.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40737-022-00308-1.

Application Research of Humanistic Care and Situational Integration in Nursing of Schizophrenia in Recovery Period

Objective

To formulate corresponding nursing humanistic care measures according to the needs of patients, evaluate the intervention effect of patients, and provide reference for nursing staff to better provide nursing humanistic care for patients with schizophrenia in convalescence.

Methods

Using the random number table method, 110 inpatients with convalescent schizophrenia were randomly divided into the control group (n = 55) and the experimental group (n = 55). The sample t-test was used to compare the changes of patient insight, treatment attitude, rehabilitation efficacy, and negative emotion score before and after nursing humanistic nursing intervention, and analyze the effect of nursing humanistic care intervention.

Results

Nursing satisfaction: the nursing satisfaction of the experimental group increased from 84.6% to 96.2%, after intervention, satisfaction of the experimental group was 96.2% higher than that of 86.5% of the control group.

Conclusion

Nursing intervention measures based on needs of nursing humanistic care can improve nursing satisfaction, insight and treatment attitude of patients, enhance recovery effect of patients, reduce negative emotions of patients, and benefit recovery of patients' conditions.

'What's she doing here?' Overcoming barriers to the implementation of Expert by Experience positions in academia

INTRODUCTION

Experts by Experience involvement in the education of health professionals has gained momentum as an important strategy in ensuring quality, person-centred education. Despite being a requirement for occupational therapy programs in Australia and internationally, involvement is variable and limited. Barriers to the implementation of academic roles have been identified, including negative attitudes of colleagues, systemic barriers, and insufficient evidence of their value. Mental health academics who do not identify as having lived experience (referred to as allies) have provided crucial support for Experts by Experience. Understanding their perspectives on implementation barriers and how they can be addressed is crucial to facilitating a broader level of meaningful involvement.

METHODS

A qualitative exploratory research project was conducted, involving in-depth interviews with mental health academic allies (n = 16) from Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. Participants were from the disciplines of nursing, occupational therapy, social work, and psychiatry. Data were analysed thematically.

FINDINGS

Two main themes were identified from the data analysis process: convincing colleagues and dealing with university barriers. Participants described varying attitudes from colleagues towards Experts by Experience, with many not understanding or appreciating their contribution to education and student outcomes. At the university level, reluctance to embrace innovation and funding and other resource shortages presented impediments to the implementation of Expert by Experience roles. Participants described using creative measures to overcome institutional barriers and encourage greater acceptance of such roles by colleagues.

CONCLUSION

This research describes how allies experienced and overcame barriers they faced when supporting the implementation of academic positions for Experts by Experience. Allies have an important role to play in overcoming systemic barriers, and the approaches they have taken to achieve this may be an important source of learning for others with similar aspirations.

The impact of face-to-face mental health consumer-led teaching on occupational therapy student empathy levels: Two group comparison design

INTRODUCTION

Australian and New Zealand accreditation standards for occupational therapy courses mandate consumer involvement in the design, delivery, and evaluation of courses. Consumer involvement in medical, dental, and nursing education has been evidenced as a factor for increasing student empathy. To date, there has been no known research on the impact of mental health consumer involvement on occupational therapy students' empathy. The aim of this study was to investigate if occupational therapy students who receive teaching from a mental health consumer demonstrate higher levels of empathy compared with students who receive teaching delivered by occupational therapy academics.

METHODS

Pre-post, quasi experimental, two group comparison design was used to measure second-year student empathy pre and post a consumer-led teaching tutorial. Students (N = 217) were randomised into two groups across three university campuses: 'teaching as usual group' (control) or 'consumer-led' group (experimental group). The Jefferson Scale of Empathy was used to measure student empathy.

RESULTS

N = 138 matched scales were returned. Little difference in empathy scales was detected between groups. The 'consumer-led' group increased for the empathy scale by 3.4(95% CI: 0.7,6.1, p = 0.014) but was not statistically significant compared to 1.3(95% CI: -1.0,3.5, p = 0.267) for the control group. Both groups scored highly on empathy.

CONCLUSION

This study found that occupational therapy students had pre-existing high levels of empathy. The challenge for future research is to identify appropriate ways to measure the impact of mental health consumer involvement on occupational therapy curriculum and students.

Assessment of dropout rates in the preclinical years and contributing factors: a study on one Thai medical school

BACKGROUND

The highest dropout rate for medical students is during the preclinical years of education. Several studies have reported possible contributing factors, however, studies regarding the dropout rate from medical education among Thai medical students and its associated factors are still lacking. This study aimed to identify the prevalence of dropout from medical education within the preclinical period and its associated factors among Thai medical students.

METHODS

We collected data from preclinical medical students who entered one medical school in Bangkok, Thailand, between 2017-2019. Demographic data, admission program, pre-admission mental health status assessed by the Thai Mental Health Indicator 66, mental health records from the faculty-based counseling services, and academic achievement were extracted. Data were reported in a descriptive fashion. We analyzed the association between dropout and these factors by robust Poisson regression.

RESULTS

In total, 914 students were recruited. Dropout was only 1.5%, which was lower than the previous studies. Regression analysis showed a significant association between dropout and mental health problems [Prevalence ratio (PR) 58.20, 95%CI 13.72- 246.95] but not admission program [PR 0.32, 95%CI 0.09 - 1.16] or failing examinations [PR 0.59, 95%CI 0.18 - 1.90]. However, other contributing factors such as financial status, family problems, medical illness, and students' motivation, were not evaluated in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

Mental health problems during medical education were associated with dropout after adjusting for other confounding variables. Further longitudinal studies are needed to identify the impacts of academic failure on dropout in higher clinical years.

The factors and outcomes of stigma toward mental disorders among medical and nursing students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Medical and nursing students' attitudes toward mental disorders have a large impact on their working intentions in mental health settings and patients' health outcomes. However, there are few studies about the stigma toward mental disorders among medical and nursing students in China.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 838 medical and nursing students completed questionnaires on their sociodemographic characteristics and familiarity with people diagnosed with mental disorders as well as the Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness Scale (CAMI). The stigma was compared between medical students and nursing students by ANOVA. A multiple logistic regression model was built to explore the relationships among sociodemographic characteristics, familiarity with mental disorders and stigma.

RESULTS

The total mean score of the CAMI was 137.61 (SD = 15.63). The score for authoritarianism (M = 33.33, SD = 3.62) was the lowest score of the four subscales. Medical students showed more positive attitudes toward mental disorders than nursing students. However, after controlling the co-variables, the difference disappeared. Stigma was significantly associated with students' education, area of residence, marital status, economic status, history of mental disorders and familiarity with mental disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical and nursing students show a negative attitude toward mental illness to a certain degree, especially regarding the view that people with mental disorders are inferior. Higher education level, residence in urban areas, single marital status, better economic status, and better familiarity with mental disorders may be related to less stigma among medical and nursing students.

Stigma towards People with Mental Illness among Portuguese Nursing Students

Stigma is a substantial obstacle when caring for people with mental illness. Nursing students’ negative attitudes towards people with mental illness may impact the quality of care delivered and consequentially patient outcomes. In this study, we assessed the stigmatising attitudes and beliefs of nursing students towards people with mental illness and examined its relationship with several psycho-socio-demographic variables. This was a quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive correlational study, which was developed with a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 110 nursing students. Stigmatising attitudes and beliefs were assessed using the Portuguese version of the Attribution Questionnaire AQ-27. Results show that the dimensions of stigma with higher scores were help, pity, coercion and avoidance. However, significant differences were only observed depending on the year of study (fourth-year students, who already had clinical placements in this area, are less likely to show stigma), the relationship (family is less prone to show coercion), the history of mental health treatment (students with a history of mental health treatment have more tendency to help) and whether they considered working in the mental health field (students who have considered working in this field are less prone to show anger, avoidance and think of patients as dangerous). Therefore, we conclude that education in a classroom setting alone is not enough to reduce stigma in nursing students, clinical placement in the area is required to achieve such results. It is thus essential to improve nursing curricula worldwide so that students are exposed to both psychiatric nursing theory and clinical practice in the first years of the nursing degree.

HIV Knowledge and Stigmatizing Attitude towards People Living with HIV/AIDS among Medical Students in Jordan

The stigmatizing attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) can be a major barrier to effective patient care. As future physicians, medical students represent a core group that should be targeted with focused knowledge and adequate training to provide patient care without prejudice. The aim of the current study was to examine HIV/AIDS knowledge, and the stigmatizing attitude towards PLWHA, among medical students in Jordan. The current study was based on a self-administered online questionnaire, which was distributed during March–May 2021, involving students at the six medical schools in Jordan, with items assessing demographics, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and HIV/AIDS stigmatizing attitude, which was evaluated using the validated HIV-stigma scale. The total number of respondents was 1362, with predominance of females (n = 780, 57.3%). Lack of HIV/AIDS knowledge among the study participants was notable for the following items: HIV transmission through breastfeeding (40.8% correct responses), HIV is not transmitted through saliva (42.6% correct responses), and vertical transmission of HIV can be prevented (48.8% correct responses). Approximately two-thirds of the respondents displayed a positive attitude towards PLWHA. For six out of the 14 HIV/AIDS knowledge items, lack of knowledge was significantly correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. Multinomial regression analysis showed that a significantly more negative attitude towards PLWHA was found among the pre-clinical students compared to the clinical students (odds ratio (OR): 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.97, p = 0.036); and that affiliation to medical schools that were founded before 2000 was associated with a more positive attitude towards PLWHA compared to affiliation to recently founded medical schools in the country (OR: 1.85, 95% CI: 1.42–2.42, p < 0.001). About one-third of medical students who participated in the study displayed a negative attitude towards PLWHA. Defects in HIV/AIDS knowledge were detected for aspects involving HIV transmission and prevention, and such defects were correlated with a more negative attitude towards PLWHA. It is recommended to revise the current medical training curricula, and to tailor improvements in the overall HIV/AIDS knowledge, which can be reflected in a more positive attitude towards PLWHA, particularly for the recently established medical schools in the country.

Internalized stigma in mental health staff with lived experience of mental crises-Does the professional role protect against self-stigmatization?

OBJECTIVE

The stigma of mental illness is widespread in the general population and also among healthcare and psychiatric professionals. Yet, research on the self-stigma of the latter is still limited. The purpose of this article was to assess self-stigma and its correlates in mental health professionals with lived experiences of mental crisis and treatment.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional exploratory research project, 182 mental health professionals with lived experiences of mental crisis and treatment from 18 psychiatric hospital departments in the German federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg were surveyed on their lived experiences, self-stigma, perceived stigma in the workplace, subjective vulnerability to crises, and meaningfulness of lived experiences. To investigate the relationships between the variables, manifest and latent correlation analyses were calculated.

RESULTS

Results showed low levels of self-stigma and perceived public stigma in the workplace. Self-stigma was significantly and positively associated with workplace stigma and subjective vulnerability to crisis, but not with identification with lived experiences.

CONCLUSION

The relationship between self-stigma, workplace stigma, and vulnerability should be investigated in terms of mutual causality in order to derive possible strategies of reducing self-stigma along with its detrimental effects. Possible reasons for the low levels of self-stigma are discussed in the light of limitations, including processes of self-selection, with highly self-stigmatizing individuals being possibly discouraged from participating. Strategies to enhance sampling quality are briefly discussed.

Estigma hacia personas con enfermedad mental en estudiantes y profesores de terapia ocupacional,

Resumen Introducción Las personas con enfermedad mental experimentan actitudes estigmatizadoras desde la población general, incluyendo profesionales y estudiantes de la salud. Estudios internacionales han estimado el estigma en estudiantes de terapia ocupacional hacia personas con enfermedad mental como moderado. Objetivo Describir el estigma hacia personas con enfermedad mental en estudiantes y profesores de terapia ocupacional en una universidad chilena. Método Estudio descriptivo transversal con docentes y estudiantes en 1er y 4° año de terapia ocupacional en una universidad en Santiago de Chile, año 2020. Se aplicó formato online de cuestionario Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), versión adaptada a Chile, y formulario de datos sociodemográficos. Se calculó puntajes promedio para cuestionario de 20 ítems y ajustado a tres dimensiones con 15 ítems. Se usó pruebas de UMann-Whitney y t student para diferencias entre grupos. Los datos sociodemográficos fueron analizados mediante estadística descriptiva. Resultados Muestra de 87 personas, edad promedio 27 años (18-58), 81 (93%) mujeres, 41 (47%) estudiantes de 4to año, 28 (24%) estudiantes de 1er año, y 22 (25%) docentes. Puntaje promedio OMS-HC para muestra total fue 42,2 puntos (28-57), indicando nivel moderado-bajo de actitudes estigmatizadoras. Estudiantes de 1er año obtuvieron mayores puntajes, pero diferencias no fueron significativas. Conclusión Los resultados son consistentes con literatura previa refiriendo nivel moderado-bajo de actitudes estigmatizadoras hacia personas con enfermedades mentales. Las diferencias incipientes entre estudiantes de 1er y 4to año hacen pertinentes nuevos estudios con mayor tamaño muestral y en otros contextos.

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.