Medical Students’ Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Schizophrenia Before and After Psychiatric Training in Almaarefa Colleges, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Journal Title: The Egyptian Journal of Hospital Medicine - Year 2018, Vol 70, Issue 10
Abstract
<strong>Background: </strong>Public surveys have shown that the general population has limited knowledge about mental illness and holds unfavorable attitudes towards the people who suffer from it in various, culturally diverse, countries. <strong>Aims:</strong> The aim of the present study was to explore medical students’ beliefs and attitudes towards people with schizophrenia (PwS) prior to receiving any training in psychiatry and to assess the impact of the psychiatric placement on changing them. <strong>Methods:</strong> A questionnaire addressing beliefs, attitudes and desired social distance from PwS was distributed to all final year medical students before the beginning of their 4-week undergraduate psychiatric placement and upon its completion. <strong>Results:</strong> Students did not endorse stereotypes commonly attached to PwS, such as being dangerous, lazy or of lower intelligence, but they held the view that PwS are unpredictable and suffer from split personality. Furthermore, the baseline level of desired social distance was found to increase as the intimacy of the interaction increased, and the only variable associated with it was personal experience of serious mental illness. Moreover, the placement was found to have either no influence at all or in a negative direction. Upon its completion more students were found to believe that PwS couldn’t recover, have no insight into their condition, cannot make reasonable decisions, cannot work in regular jobs and are dangerous to the public. No difference was recorded in social distance scores. <strong>Conclusions: </strong>A close and critical examination of the various elements of the undergraduate placement in psychiatry is needed in order to develop an evidence based, fully rounded education with an anti-stigma orientation.
Authors and Affiliations
Eman Helal
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP583720
- DOI -
- Views 81
- Downloads 0
Comparative evaluation of hemodynamic stability and recovery during conscious sedation by dexmedetomidine with fentanyl versus ketamine with fentanyl in dilatation and curettage
<strong>Background: </strong>Conscious sedation is a technique of providing analgesia, sedation and anxiolysis while ensuring rapid recovery without side effects. Conscious sedation is administered with the dual goals of...
Bronchial Asthma among Medical students in Saudi Arabia
<strong>Background: </strong>bronchial asthma is a common chronic respiratory disease affecting adolescents and young adults nationality and worldwide and its prevalence has increased in developed and developing countrie...
Laparoscopic versus Open Inguinal Hernia Repair in Adults
Hernias are abnormal protrusions of a viscus (or part of it) through a normal or abnormal opening in a cavity (usually the abdomen). They are most commonly seen in the groin; a minority are para-umbilical or incis...
Case Report: Transverse Vaginal Septum in A Down’s Syndrome Patient
Transverse vaginal septa are relatively rare anomalies. It has been shown to occur at different depths within the vagina. It results from vertical fusion or canalization disorder between the vaginal components of <em>Mü...
Causes and Management of Cellulitis
<strong>Background:</strong> Cellulitis is a diffuse, deep, acute inflammation of the skin including the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. It often follows an acute or chronic trauma and is an important cause of hospital a...