What Do Non-Psychiatric Doctors of Andhra Pradesh Think about Psychiatrists, Psychiatric Medications and Mental Illness? A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND Mental and behavioural disorders are prevalent in all societies. The stigma and poor attitude towards mental illness and those with mental illness is well known. Similarly, there also exists poor opinions about psychiatrists and psychiatric medications among people. Non psychiatric doctors act as a bridge between the psychiatrists and mentally ill people. This study was conducted to evaluate the attitudes of non-psychiatric doctors towards psychiatrists, psychiatric medications, and mental illness. METHODS The study design was cross sectional, conducted in a town of Andhra Pradesh. A structured proforma was used to capture the sociodemographic details and to measure attitudes towards psychiatrists and psychiatric medications. We used a questionnaire used by Zieger et al. Similarly, to measure the attitudes towards mental illness, belief towards mental illness (BTMI) used by Hirai and Clum was used. The data was analysed using R language, and results obtained were tabulated and discussed. Data was analysed using non parametric tests. RESULTS There were no significant negative attitudes of non-psychiatrists towards psychiatrists and mental illness. But we found significant negative attitudes expressed by medical specialists (P = 0.035) and those in academic settings (P = 0.020) towards psychiatric medications. On comparing the other demographic details there were no significant negative attitudes towards psychiatric medications. CONCLUSIONS Previous studies have found negative attitudes among non-psychiatrists towards psychiatry, psychiatrists and mental illness. But our study found that there are positive attitudes expressed by non-psychiatric doctors towards psychiatrists and mental illness which is a good sign. We believe this is a changing trend towards positive side when compared to past studies. Future studies should be longitudinal and to keep in focus the new curriculum changes. KEYWORDS Attitudes of Health Personnel, Psychiatry, Mental Disorders

Download Full-text

Attitude towards Mental Illness among Secondary School Students in Asmara, Eritrea: A Cross-Sectional Study

Psychiatry Journal ◽

10.1155/2018/4578721 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eyasu H. Tesfamariam ◽

Medhane M. Tekie ◽

Amos Y. Tesfa ◽

Dawit H. Hadgu ◽

Eyob A. Awalom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Secondary School ◽

Mentally Ill ◽

Educational Level ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

School Students ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

The Mean

Secondary School students (SSs) are important members of the community; hence their attitude towards mental illness can be highly influential. Mentally ill individuals are not only suffering from the illness but also suffering from the stigmatizing attitude generated by the community. The objectives of this study were to determine attitude of SSs towards mental illness and its associated factors. A cross-sectional study design employing stratified random sampling was applied to select a sample of 402 students. Data was obtained using a self-administered Belief towards Mental Illness (BMI) questionnaire. Independent sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used to determine possible differences in scores of attitude. From a total of 21 BMI scale items, positive attitudes were found in eight items and negative attitudes were found in the remaining thirteen. The mean score of the full BMI scale was 2.47 (95% CI: 2.41, 2.54). The mean (95% CI) scores of dangerousness, poor social relations and incurability, and shame subscales were 2.68 (2.60, 2.76), 2.55 (2.48, 2.62), and 1.22 (1.09, 1.34), respectively. A significant negative correlation was found between attitude scores and the average mark of students (r = -0.257, p<0.0001). Moreover, significant differences in attitude scores were observed between students with a relative of mental illness and those without such a relative (p=0.004). There was an increasing trend of positive attitudes with increased educational level among 9th, 10th, and 11th graders (p-trend<0.0001) and with an increase in the educational level of the students father (p-trend=0.028). However, no significant difference in attitude score was found across categories of sex, religion, living condition of father, presence of a mentally ill neighbor, educational level of mother, or ethnicity. In conclusion, considerable numbers of SSs have negative attitudes towards mental illness. Implementation of programs that enhance positive attitudes towards mentally ill individuals is recommended.

Download Full-text

Level of awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward epilepsy among students at king Khalid university, Saudi Arabia

المجلة الدولية للدراسات التربوية والنفسية ◽

10.31559/eps2021.10.3.14 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 763-771

Author(s):

Walaa Badawy Mohamed Badawy

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Epileptic Seizures ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Major Public Health Problem ◽

Major Life ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

Almost All

purpose: Epilepsy is a major public health problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to explore the level of awareness, knowledge regarding epilepsy and attitudes prevalent toward epilepsy among king Khalid university students. Methods: The descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with the voluntary participation of 227 participants from students at King Khalid University. The mean age of participating was (20.10 ± 1.3). Theoretical and practical colleges used questionnaires to assess students' knowledge about epilepsy and their attitudes towards it. Results: A total of 227 respondents completed the survey; the results showed almost all had heard about epilepsy. Only 83.7% have never had any information on how to treat a patient with epilepsy. 80.6% think non-medical treatment is beneficial for epilepsy %13.2% do not know how to do first aid to deal with epileptic seizures. Almost 32.6% did not know the cause of epilepsy, 59% believed that it was a hereditary disorder 44.1% believed epilepsy is a form of mental illness, 57.3% believed that epilepsy patients die because of epileptic seizures. 59% believed that it was a hereditary disorder 44.1% believed epilepsy is a form of mental illness, 11% of participants thought that epilepsy is caused by evil spirits, 57.3% believed that epilepsy patients die because of epileptic seizures. There were also many students who held negative attitudes towards patients with epilepsy in regard to major life milestones such as marriage and having children. 16.7% indicated that it presents an impediment in participation in sports, approximately 6.2% objected to marrying someone with epilepsy, Moreover 11.5% thought they should not have children and, the study showed 46,3% would not allow their child to play with a child with epilepsy. Moreover 14.5 afraid to live with someone with epilepsy. the study showed 6,6 % objected accept working with a patient with epilepsy. Conclusions: The level of awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of students at King Khalid toward epilepsy were acceptable regarding this study. However, the negative attitudes and misconceptions still exist. Further studies are needed to determine methods of overcoming these negative attitudes and misconceptions toward epilepsy.

Download Full-text

Medical Students’ Attitudes Toward Communication Skills Learning in Chitwan Medical College, Nepal

Journal of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences ◽

10.3126/jbpkihs.v3i1.30333 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 96-104

Author(s):

Suneel Piryani ◽

Rano Mal Piryani ◽

Gopendra Prasad Deo

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Attitude Scale ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Medical College ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Nas Score ◽

Skills Learning

Introduction: Medical students’ attitude towards communication skills is crucial for curriculum planners, teachers and health professionals. Chitwan Medical College (CMC) is a private medical school admitting students mainly from the Nepal. Objective: To assess the attitudes of medical students towards learning communication skills. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among third and fifth year medical (MBBS) undergraduates at Chitwan Medical College (CMC), Nepal in April 2018 using the 26-itemCommunication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS) developed by Rees, Sheard, and Davies. Participants ‘age, sex, year of study, nationality, religion, relationship status, the occupation of father and mother, place of residence of a family, were noted. The CSAS scores were computed. Student’s t-test and ANOVA test were used to compare the scores among subgroups of participants. Results: The mean positive attitudes scale (PAS), negative attitudes scale (NAS) and overall CSAS scores were 51.77  5.21, 35.68  4.43, and 83.97  5.77 respectively. PAS score was statistically significantly higher among the respondents whose mothers were not in the health-related profession. Whereas NAS score was statistically significantly lower among females, self-rated outstanding students, and good self-reported written communication skills. Conclusion: Medical undergraduates had strong positive attitudes towards learning communication skills, but negative attitudes were also noted. Hence, faculty members need to change these attitudes through improving teaching and assessment strategies.

Download Full-text

Attitudes towards pharmacotherapy in late-life bipolar disorder

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610215002380 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 945-950 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Soham Rej ◽

Josien Schuurmans ◽

Dominique Elie ◽

Max L. Stek ◽

Kenneth Shulman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Bipolar Disorder ◽

Adverse Effects ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Attitude Inventory ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Bipolar Patients ◽

Drug Attitude Inventory

ABSTRACTBackground:Lithium remains a first-line treatment for bipolar disorder, but clinicians have considerable concern over potential adverse effects, especially in older adults. Older patients’ attitude towards lithium has not been investigated, even though negative attitudes are closely associated with reduced adherence. We examine the attitude towards lithium pharmacotherapy in older adults with bipolar disorder.Methods:In a cross-sectional study of 78 patients aged >60 years with bipolar disorder, the association between lithium use and attitudes towards psychotropic pharmacotherapy was assessed using the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10), including multivariate analyses.Results:Compared to patients using alternative psychopharmacological treatments (n =30), lithium users (n=48) showed higher self-reported contentedness, subjective somatic health, and social functioning scores. Although 58.7% of lithium users reported severe adverse effects, lithium users had more positive attitudes towards psychotropic pharmacotherapy compared to non-users (DAI-10 mean score 6.0 vs. 3.9, p =0.01), and this effect was independent of potential confounders.Conclusions:Older bipolar patients using lithium have a more positive attitude towards psychotropic pharmacotherapy, despite high rates of adverse effects. Future longitudinal studies could investigate whether positive medication attitudes lead to improved treatment adherence and reduced bipolar disorder relapse in older lithium users.

Download Full-text

RESIDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD THOSE WHO MISUSE DRUGS ON THREE ATTITUDINAL SCALES

Texto & Contexto - Enfermagem ◽

10.1590/1980-265x-tce-cicad-8-23 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (spe) ◽

Author(s):

Suzette A. Haughton ◽

Robert Mann ◽

Winston De La Haye

Keyword(s):

Drug Users ◽

Positive Relationship ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Personal Contact ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Policy Interventions ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Strong Positive Relationship ◽

Social Support Scale

ABSTRACT Objective: to examine patterns in attitudes toward drug users among residents in a community of Kingston, Jamaica. Method: cross-sectional study; sample size was 121 residents. Results: alcohol and marijuana showed a strong positive relationship on the personal contact attitudinal scale with r (119)=.53, p<.01. Respondents’ attitudes on the judgement scale for crack and cocaine were the strongest among all the drugs with r (119)=.84, p<.01, reflective of a very strong positive relationship. Equally important too, respondents’ attitudes on the social support scale toward those who misuse crack and cocaine were very strongly correlated with r (119)=.88, p<.01. Residents displayed positive attitudes toward those who misuse alcohol and marijuana. Conclusion: the majority of respondents were ambivalent toward those who misuse cocaine and crack. Negative attitudes were highest among residents toward those who misuse cocaine. This study found that the differences in mean between males and females attitudes on the personal contact scale for alcohol and marijuana were statistically significant at 0.05 level. Our findings may be used to inform further research and ultimately lead to policy interventions.

Download Full-text

Individual and External Catalysts and Barriers of Biking: A Community based Study in a Metropolis

Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Health Care ◽

10.18311/ajprhc/2016/7964 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 49

Author(s):

Veda Vakili ◽

Lida Jarahi ◽

Seyed Mojtaba Mousavi Bazzaz ◽

Pardis Shojaee

Keyword(s):

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Car Ownership ◽

Community Based ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Academic Settings ◽

People’S Attitudes ◽

Multistage Sampling ◽

Study Participants ◽

Cultural Interventions

Biking has proven health, environmental and traffic benefits. To prevail biking at community infrastructures and "Bicycle Sharing Systems (BSS)" have been developed, but their effectiveness is dependent on people's attitudes and perceptions. We aim to investigate attitudes of people toward biking and related infrastructures with regard to demographic factors in Mashhad, Iran-a metropolis with unsuccessful BSS. The present work was conducted as a cross-sectional study at Mashhad, Iran, in 2015. In a multistage sampling, adult inhabitants were selected and data about their perceptions of benefits and barriers of biking were collected through a researcher-designed questionnaire. of 437 study participants with a mean ( ± SD) age of 29.9 ( ± 11.3) years, 250 (57.3%) were female. Only 3 (0.7%) of respondents used bikes. Positive attitudes were significantly associated with gender, marital status and occupation of participants. Car ownership was accompanied by higher perceptions of "tiredness of biking"(p = 0.02), its "low safety" (p = 0.02) and "time wasting" (p = 0.01). According to the results, cultural interventions are needed for biking promotion regardless of their socioeconomic status. Educational programs at academic settings are also valuable. Safety, convenience, and affordability of different groups of populations (like elderly and deprived people) should be regarded during designing and constructing biking infrastructures and setting participation rules.

Download Full-text

Public Awareness Toward Coronavirus Disease-2019

Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/1010539520949421 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 32 (6-7) ◽

pp. 354-356

Author(s):

Izzeddin A. Bdair ◽

Mohammad N. Alshloul ◽

Gladys L. Maribbay

Keyword(s):

Public Awareness ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Effective Measure ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Global Issue ◽

Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Background The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has become a global issue of concern. Since its occurrence, about 18 million cases have been reported globally and about 280 000 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the general population toward COVID-19. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted. A questionnaire was built by the researchers that was composed of demographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices sections. Results The sample was composed of 575 participants. The mean scores of knowledge, attitudes, and practices were 16.48 ± 2.90, 10.01 ± 2.18, and 8.91 ± 1.91, respectively. The Ministry of Health constitutes the main source of participants’ information. Conclusion The findings showed that participants have good knowledge, positive attitudes, and satisfactory practices toward COVID-19. Yet, areas of low knowledge and negative attitudes were noticed. However, further studies are recommended to design an effective measure to control the disease.

Download Full-text

Attitudes toward Menopause in HIV-Infected Cambodian Women

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9060677 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 677

Author(s):

Roshna Thapa ◽

Youngran Yang

Keyword(s):

Premenopausal Women ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Attitude Score ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Perceived Severity ◽

Women Living With Hiv ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Living With Hiv

(1) Background: Attitudes toward menopause are believed to play a potential role in the experience of menopause, including its perceived severity. However, the studies available on the perspectives of women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) on menopause in Cambodia are very limited. This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes toward menopause of Cambodian women living with HIV. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 189 women using a questionnaire titled Attitude toward Menopause Scale and socio-demographics. (3) Results: The study analysis showed that the participants had slightly negative attitudes toward menopause with the mean attitude score of 86.81 ± 10.79 (Range 35–140). Postmenopausal women displayed more positive attitudes than premenopausal women. Older age, higher education, and a non-drinking habit were independently associated with a positive attitude toward menopause. (4) Conclusion: The results suggest the need for a multidisciplinary team of health care experts that would address the special needs of this population marked by the menopausal transition.

Download Full-text

Experiencing stigma: Nepalese perspectives

Kathmandu University Medical Journal ◽

10.3126/kumj.v6i4.1736 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 458-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

SR Adhikari ◽

SN Pradhan ◽

SC Sharma

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Treatment Compliance ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Self Report ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Course Of Illness ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Compliance To Treatment ◽

And Coping

Background: Experiencing stigma by patients with mental illness in their day to day lives has substantial importance in treatment, compliance and quality of life. There is dearth of information and researches in experiences/ perceptions and coping of stigma in Nepal. Aims: The objective of this study was to find out experiences/ perceptions and coping of stigma and stigmatizations among patients with mental illness. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective, cross sectional study of patients admitted in psychiatry ward. Patients were assessed using self-report questionnaire which focused on beliefs about discrimination against mental illness, rejection experiences, and ways of coping with stigma. Patient's socio demographic profiles were also assessed. Results: Fifty three patients completed questionnaire concerning various constructs of stigma. There were 29 male patients and 24 female patients. Majority (N=45; 84.9%) were of Hindu religion but there were mixed numbers regarding caste. Most of the patients were aware of the stigma associated with mental illness. There were experiences of rejection by family members and colleagues (N=23; 43.4%) and health care professional (N=16; 30.2%). There were strong perceptions of stigmatization felt by patients in different social circumstances. Though maintaining secrecy and avoidance/withdrawal of stigma provoking scenario were not experienced much, there was a strong sense of advocacy whenever there was any negative view of mental illness. Some of the questionnaire items in "perception", "rejection" and "coping" showed statistical significance (p=0.001). Conclusion: People with mental illness experience stigma during their course of illness and treatment and it is an important determinant for the relapse of symptoms and non-compliance to treatment. Despite experiencing stigma, patients were generally treated fairly by other people. Patients develop various mechanisms to cope with stigma, mostly secrecy and avoidance. Advocacy and anti-stigma campaign along with positive attitudes of health professionals play important role in decreasing stigmatizing experiences in patients. Key Words: Stigma, stigmatization, mental illness, coping, perception. doi: 10.3126/kumj.v6i4.1736 Kathmandu University Medical Journal (2008), Vol. 6, No. 4, Issue 24, 458-465

Download Full-text

Stigma towards mental illness among medical and nursing students in Singapore: a cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018099 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (12) ◽

pp. e018099 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Sherilyn Chang ◽

Hui Lin Ong ◽

Esmond Seow ◽

Boon Yiang Chua ◽

Edimansyah Abdin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Nursing Students ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

People With Mental Illness

ObjectivesTo assess stigma towards people with mental illness among Singapore medical and nursing students using the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), and to examine the relationship of students’ stigmatising attitudes with sociodemographic and education factors.Design and settingCross-sectional study conducted in SingaporeParticipantsThe study was conducted among 1002 healthcare (502 medical and 500 nursing) students during April to September 2016. Students had to be Singapore citizens or permanent residents and enrolled in public educational institutions to be included in the study. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 21.3 (3.3) years, with the majority being females (71.1%). 75.2% of the participants were Chinese, 14.1% were Malays, and 10.7% were either Indians or of other ethnicity.MethodsFactor analysis was conducted to validate the OMS-HC scale in the study sample and to examine its factor structure. Descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression were used to examine sociodemographic and education correlates.ResultsFactor analysis revealed a three-factor structure with 14 items. The factors were labelled as attitudes towards help-seeking and people with mental illness, social distance and disclosure. Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that medical students were found to be associated with lower total OMS-HC scores (P<0.05), less negative attitudes (P<0.001) and greater disclosure (P<0.05) than nursing students. Students who had a monthly household income of below S$4000 had more unfavourable attitudes than those with an income of SGD$10 000 and above (P<0.05). Having attended clinical placement was associated with more negative attitudes (P<0.05) among the students.ConclusionHealthcare students generally possessed positive attitudes towards help-seeking and persons with mental illness, though they preferred not to disclose their own mental health condition. Academic curriculum may need to enhance the component of mental health training, particularly on reducing stigma in certain groups of students.

Download Full-text