Knowledge,attitude and behaviours toward people with mental illness among Tunisian nursing students and nonhealth care students: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundAlthough being in the frontline of healthcare and having a crucial role in the reduction of stigma, evidence has shown that nurses and undergraduate nursing students hold unfavourable attitudes toward mental illness. There is, to our knowledge, no previous study that explored attitudes toward mental illness among nursing students in Tunisia, nor in North African countries.AimWe aimed to assess stigma in nursing students as compared to nonhealth care students, and the relationship between stigma and education variables in the nursing students group.MethodsThe 'Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill', the 'Mental Health Knowledge Schedule', and 'Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale' were administered to 255 nursing students and 332 nonhealth care students.FindingsDespite nursing students being more knowledgeable about mental disorders than nonhealth care students; they held significantly more stigmatising attitudes toward people with mental disorders in two dimensions: Authoritarianism and Community mental health ideology. After controlling for confounders, we found that having taken mental health courses significantly predicted more favourable attitudes toward people with mental disorders and better knowledge of mental health stigma. Being interested in working in psychiatric wards helped predict more favourable attitudes and intended behaviours.DiscussionIn general, results from this study are of concern as it presents evidence of an overall similar or even greater tendency to negative attitudes toward mental illness among nursing students than among nonhealth care students.ConclusionThere is an urgent need for antistigma interventions in nursing schools. These interventions should target nursing students with the most negative attitudes, including male students and those who have never had personal experience with mental illness. Interventions should also work to build up nursing students’ interest in mental health nursing during their undergraduate years.     

Nurses'' attitudes towards a patient who has a psychiatric history

This study was carried out in a large Metropolitan General Hospital in New York, USA. The aim of the study was to determine the differences in nurses' attitudes towards a general hospital patient who had, or had not, a previous psychiatric illness. One hundred and twenty-eight graduate (trained) nurses were asked to read the patient's case notes, to view videotapes and to answer questionnaires as part of the research method. Analysis of the data obtained demonstrates the statistically significant finding below the 0·02 level that the nurses' attitudes were generally more negative towards the former psychiatric patient. In several instances, the disturbed behaviour of the patient was more significant than the patient's previous hospitalization: the findings also suggest that the graduate nurses equate mental illness with organic causes.
The study poses many questions for nurse educators, but particularly for those responsible for psychiatric nursing education.     

Understanding the impact of mental health placements on student nurses’ attitudes towards mental illness

Student nurses maintain unfavorable views of people with mental health issues. Many continue to perpetuate common stereotypes, are fearful and believe people with mental health problems are in some way dangerous. The impact of placements greatly affects these views. A pre-post survey of 85 student nurses was conducted to establish the opinions and attitudes of student nurses regarding mental health. Groups were allocated to either community or hospital placements. Each group received the same educational preparation prior to placement. Both community and hospital placed students had improved clinical confidence when working with people experiencing mental health problems. Community placed students demonstrated greater positive attitudes towards people experiencing mental health issues across a number of domains. Students in hospital settings demonstrated more confidence when working with people with mental health issues yet had less attitudinal change about mental health. The approach taken by clinical facilitators also influenced student attitudes. It is suggested that offering community opportunities along with exposure to positive instructor beliefs about mental illness will both improve student attitudes prior to the completion of their nursing studies and may encourage entry into mental health as a nursing option post-education.     

Developing more positive attitudes towards mental health nursing in undergraduate students: part 2--The impact of theory and clinical experience

Previous research examining the impact of education on nursing students' attitudes towards mental health nursing as a career has highlighted clinical experience as the primary influencing factor and generally has not considered the impact of theory. The current study compared a cohort of second-year and a cohort of third-year nursing students from the same university. Second-year students had received more theory and clinical experience than their counterparts. Questionnaires were distributed to the total population of students before commencement of, and after completion of clinical placement. This paper examines students' perceived preparedness for and satisfaction with clinical experience, attitudes towards people with mental illness, and attitudes towards mental health nursing as a career option following the completion of differing amounts of theory and clinical experience. The results demonstrate some statistically significant differences with increased amounts of theory and clinical experience in the second-year cohort being positively influential. The findings suggest that an increased component of theoretical and clinical experience in psychiatric/mental health nursing is likely to produce more positive attitudes towards people with mental illness and psychiatric/mental health nursing. However, little difference in perceived preparedness for and satisfaction with clinical experience was noted between the two cohorts.     

某校护理本科生对精神病患者受贬低/歧视的感知状况调查

目的 了解护理本科生对精神病患者受贬低、歧视的感知状况。方法 运用贬低-歧视感知量表对北京某医科大学护理本科1～4年级的277名学生进行对精神病患者受贬低、歧视情况感知的调查。结果 144名护理本科生认同人们会看不起精神病患者,216名护生认同大部分人不愿意和患过精神病的人做好朋友,194名护生认同很少有人会雇用精神病患者为他们服务,158名护生认同人们对待精神病患者和普通人是不同的。不同年级、有无精神科临床见习经历和有无学习过精神科护理专业课程的护理本科生,其对精神病患者贬低/歧视态度的感知状况不同（P〈0.001）。结论 具备一定精神科专业知识、与精神病患者有过直接接触的护理本科生对患者存在消极认识,因此有必要对此开展相应的干预,针对性的反歧视项目值得探讨和研究。     

The attitudes of mental health professionals towards patients with mental illness in an inpatient setting in Palestine

Culture plays a vital role in shaping public and professional attitudes towards mental illness. In Arab cultures negative attitudes toward patients experiencing mental illnesses are common. There is a lack of studies that investigate the attitudes of professionals towards patients in inpatient mental health settings. This study aimed to assess the attitudes of professionals towards patients with mental illnesses in the only psychiatric hospital in Palestine. A survey was undertaken using the Attitudes Toward Acute Mental Health Scale (ATAMHS 33). The scale was distributed to a variety of professionals at the only psychiatric hospital in Bethlehem. Data was managed and analysed by using SPSS 15 (a statistical package for social sciences). The participants (mostly nurses) expressed both negative and positive attitudes toward patients, however, results revealed more negative than positive attitudes, particularly in relation to alcohol misuse, medication, patients' ability to control their emotions, and genetic predisposition to mental illness. This paper provides baseline data about the attitude of mental health professionals towards patients experiencing mental illnesses. Education and direct contact with patients with mental illness may not be enough to foster positive attitudes towards them. This may indicate the need to revise educational curriculum at the Palestinian universities and offer more training for mental health professionals in order to change their attitudes.     

Exploring the Relationships Among Level of Contact,Nature of Contact,and Mental Illness Stigma in Adolescent Girls

This study explored the relationship of individuals’ level of contact with someone with mental illness, and the nature of that contact, to mental illness stigma in adolescent females (N = 156). There were no significant associations among stigma and level of contact. The nature of the contact was significantly associated with stigma, such that those who knew someone who received treatment in a psychiatric facility had lower stigma, and those who attributed a deterioration of a past personal relationship to mental illness reported greater stigma.     

Undergraduate nursing students' attitudes towards mental health nursing: determining the influencing factors

Available evidence clearly demonstrates that undergraduate nursing students typically hold unfavourable attitudes towards psychiatric / mental health nursing as a career. It has been suggested that students' negative attitudes towards mental illness and consumers of mental health services may be responsible for the unpopularity of this specialty area; however, research exploring the relationship between career choices and students' attitudes is lacking. A sub-set of data from a large Victorian study that examined undergraduate nursing students' attitudes towards mental illness, mental health nursing, and mental health clinical placement experiences was used to clarify the nature of this relationship. In total, complete data was available from 605 students undertaking their first mental health placement who provided responses to a 24-item pre-placement survey. This survey assessed the following three areas: 1. preparedness for the mental health field; 2. attitudes towards mental illness; and 3. attitudes towards mental health nursing. The findings demonstrate significant relationships between students' attitudes, beliefs, and characteristics and desire to pursue a career in psychiatric mental health nursing. The identification of these relationships provides a basis from which interventions to influence nursing students' attitudes towards psychiatric/mental health nursing, can be planned.     

Attitudes of Flemish physiotherapy students towards mental health and psychiatry

Objectives

In general, psychiatry is not very popular among healthcare providers, although no information is available concerning the attitudes of physiotherapy students towards mental heath. This study examined the attitudes of physiotherapy students towards psychiatry considering the subject's gender, previous experience with psychiatry and the impact of a specific course.

Method

This experimental study compared the attitudes of physiotherapy students (n = 219) with those of students without a biomedical background (n = 112) towards psychiatry. All students were between 17 and 28 years of age, and completed an established international questionnaire entitled ‘Attitudes Towards Psychiatry’. Within the group of physiotherapy students, the effect of a 65-hour course on psychiatric rehabilitation on their attitudes was evaluated.

Results

Attitudes towards psychiatry were moderately positive [mean (SD) 103.3 (9.9)]. There was a small but significant difference between physiotherapy students and non-medical students (Cohen's d = 0.31). Female students had a more positive attitude towards psychiatry than their male peers (Cohen's d = 0.44). Prior experience with mental illness was associated with more positive attitudes (Cohen's d = 0.68). Attitudes increased in positivity after completion of a psychiatry course (Cohen's d = 0.72).

Discussion and conclusion

To ensure basic physiotherapeutic treatment for the mentally ill, physiotherapy education should aim to promote positive attitudes towards mental illness as well as psychiatry. High-quality courses and personal interaction with patients are the best strategies to achieve this goal.     

Staff drug knowledge and attitudes towards drug use among the mentally ill within a medium secure psychiatric hospital

There is little research in the UK that focuses on medium secure psychiatric nursing staff attitudes, beliefs and knowledge about alcohol and illicit substances, substance use and mental illness. The current study presents data from 98 staff, working within a medium secure psychiatric hospital, and compares differences between staff groups in relation to general drug knowledge and attitudes towards both alcohol and illicit substances and the mentally ill patients who use them. Data suggest that, even for qualified staff, training in alcohol and illicit substances was inadequate in both length and depth. Qualified nursing staff had better knowledge of licit and illicit drug use than unqualified nursing staff and non-clinical staff, and also had different beliefs about why people with severe mental illnesses use licit and illicit drugs. However, no significant differences were found between groups for either level of punitive attitude towards people with severe mental illness who use drugs or the impact that certain factors have on severe mental health problems. These results identify the need for training in drug knowledge and drug use in mental illness, for those staff working in the field. The need for ongoing post-registration training in substance use and mental health is emphasized.     

Beliefs towards mental illness in Turkish physiotherapy students

Abstract

Mental health is a new area of specialization for physiotherapists. However, they usually meet patients with psychiatric co-morbidities secondary to other chronic diseases. It is important to explore the beliefs of future physiotherapists regarding mental illness in order to implement effective strategies to avoid possible stigmatizing attitudes that may interfere with the rehabilitation process. Moreover, the psychiatric field should be introduced to physiotherapists as a clinical and research area. Therefore, we aimed to question the beliefs of physiotherapy students regarding mental illness using the Beliefs towards Mental Illness Scale in two different universities in Turkey. The total score of 524 students was 46.5?±?14.5 out of 105 while the Dangerousness Subscale score was 21.2?±?5.8/40; Incurability and Poor Social and Interpersonal Skills Subscale score was 24.2?±?9.3/55 and Shame Subscale score was 1.1?±?1.9/10. Students who had a relationship with an individual having a mental problem and students who had consulted a psychiatrist/psychologist for any mental problem showed more positive beliefs. Future physiotherapists should be informed and trained regarding people with mental illness both to avoid stigma and to be aware of this area in physiotherapy settings. Therefore, it is important to implement new curricula for schools providing physiotherapy education including courses, lectures and clinical practices in the psychiatry field.     

The nature of clinical supervision in psychiatric nursing: a survey of clinical specialists

There is a growing body of theory and research on clinical supervision within other mental health disciplines; however, there has been little study of clinical supervision within psychiatric mental health nursing. This article reports the results of a survey of 61 psychiatric mental health specialists to determine their attitudes toward selected supervisory issues. Two-thirds of the respondents had received further supervision beyond the master's degree, one-half reported a personal psychotherapy experience, and one-half were certified in psychiatric mental health nursing. There were significant differences of opinion between clinical nurse specialists who were certified and those who were not and between those who reported a personal therapy experience and those who did not. The authors suggest that more attention be paid to the development of curriculum content regarding clinical supervision in graduate nursing programs. In addition, they recommend further research on the topic of clinical supervision in psychiatric mental health nursing.     

Nursing Students’ Attitudes Towards People Diagnosed with Mental Illness and Mental Health Nursing: An International Project from Europe and Australia

The stigma associated with a diagnosis of mental illness is well known yet has not reduced significantly in recent years. Health professionals, including nurses, have been found to share similar negative attitudes towards people with labelled with mental illness as the general public. The low uptake of mental health nursing as a career option reflects these stigmatised views and is generally regarded as one of the least popular areas of in which to establish a nursing career. The aim of the current project was to examine nursing students’ attitudes towards the concept of mental illness and mental health nursing across four European countries (Ireland, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands), and Australia, using the Opening Minds Scale and the Mental Health Nurse Education survey. The surveys were distributed to students prior to the commencement of the mental health theory component. Attitudes towards mental health nursing were generally favourable. Differences in opinion were evident in attitudes towards mental illness as a construct; with students from Australia and Ireland tending to have more positive attitudes than students from Finland, Norway and the Netherlands. The future quality of mental health services is dependent on attracting sufficient nurses with the desire, knowledge and attitudes to work in mental health settings. Understanding attitudes towards mental illness and mental health nursing is essential to achieving this aim.     

Who cares for older people with mental illness? A survey of residential aged care facilities in the Australian Capital Territory: Implications for mental health nursing

Residential aged care facilities are increasingly becoming locations wherein the most frail and older people with mental illness live out the remainder of their lives, yet it has become apparent in recent years that these institutions are fraught with a variety of social and clinical problems. One issue of concern has been the exodus of registered nurses (both general and psychiatric), who have been increasingly replaced by carers with little or no expertise in psychiatric illness or disorders of cognitive decline. This 'de-professionalizing' of aged care has important implications for the well-being of clients, particularity those with complex mental health problems. In this survey we sought to discover demographic information concerning those who provide front-line care to this population of aged Australians, and we sought also to ascertain how much education in caring for residents who suffer specifically from neurodegenerative disorders (the dementias) and mental illness was provided by the facilities to those who care for such older people. The lack of training in the areas of mental health and cognitive impairment raises a variety of issues that mental health nurses need to address. These issues cover clinical, professional, and social justice dimensions. We believe that mental health nurses are strategically and professionally placed to take a leadership role in raising the profile of aged care in this country and they need to act proactively to secure the well-being of this particularly vulnerable client group.     

Attitudes towards mental illness among health care students at Swedish universities – A follow-up study after completed clinical placement

The aim of the study was to examine the changes in attitudes towards mental illness after theoretical education and clinical placement among students from university programmes preparing for different kinds of health professions. Three different questionnaires were used, measuring the level of familiarity with mental illness and attitudes towards mental illness in general and towards specific mental illnesses. The data were collected on two occasions, before the theoretical course and after the completed clinical placement. The result showed that the attitudes toward mental illness in general had changed in a less stigmatising direction after the clinical placement. On the other hand, attitudes toward specific mental illnesses did not show any major changes. A conclusion is that the clinical placement included in the university programmes to some extent could affect attitudes in a de-stigmatizing direction, possibly because of the interaction with persons suffering from mental illness and experienced supervisors.     

Enabling or disabling? Students' attitudes toward persons with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities are devalued by society. Occupational therapists may be contributing to this devaluation through their attitudes. This study focused on the attitudes of undergraduate students. From a sample of 223 occupational therapy students and 326 business students at an Australian university, it was found, with the use of the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale-Form A (Yuker, Block, & Young, 1966), that the attitudes of freshman occupational therapy students did not differ significantly from those of their business-major peers. Furthermore, the occupational therapy students' attitudes did not vary with the years of undergraduate education completed. However, those students who had had contact with persons with disabilities beyond the context of a caregiver-care receiver relationship (i.e., those students who had assumed roles that emphasized valued attributes of the person with a disability) had significantly more positive attitudes than did those students without such contact. Educational curricula must address the issue of students' attitudes and, in particular, the facilitation of valued social role contact with persons with disabilities.     

Nursing students' attitude change towards mental illness and psychiatric case recognition after a clerkship in psychiatry

Attitudes towards mental illness were measured in all 92 students of the seventh semester in the School of Nursing of Athens University before (time 1) and after (time 2) the completion of 40 and 90 hours of lectures on clinical psychiatry and clerkship, respectively. The instrument used to measure attitudinal dimensions was the Cohen and Struening's Opinions about Mental Illness (OMI) scale, which yieldsfive factors and was proven to be reliable and valid in previous studies. Hypothetical case vignettes were used to assess psychiatric case recognition. In factors A, B, and D statistically significant differences in attitudes towards mental illness between time I and 2 were observed. It seems that the completion of training in psychiatry influenced the students' opinions about mental illness; they expressed less authoritarianism and discriminatory beliefs as well as positive views about social integration of mentally ill persons. The group of students who failed to recognize the case vignettes satisfactorily also expressed negative views in four out of five OMI scale factors.     

The attitudes of nursing students and others about mental illness.

Student nurses tend to report somewhat moderate attitudes toward mental illness in that they appear to be less radical than psychology students, but less conservative than teacher-students in education. The student nurses' attitudes are similar to those of psychiatric residents, but more radical than psychiatric nurses.     

NURSING STUDENTS' ATTITUDE CHANGE TOWARDS MENTAL ILLNESS AND PSYCHIATRIC CASE RECOGNITION AFTER A CLERKSHIP IN PSYCHIATRY

Attitudes towards mental illness were measured in all 92 students of the seventh semester in the School of Nursing of Athens University before (time 1) and after (time 2) the completion of 40 and 90 hours of lectures on clinical psychiatry and clerkship, respectively. The instrument used to measure attitudinal dimensions was the Cohen and Struening's Opinions about Mental Illness (OMI) scale, which yields five factors and was proven to be reliable and valid in previous studies. Hypothetical case vignettes were used to assess psychiatric case recognition. In factors A, B, and D statistically significant differences in attitudes towards mental illness between time 1 and 2 were observed. It seems that the completion of training in psychiatry influenced the students' opinions about mental illness; they expressed less authoritarianism and discriminatory beliefs as well as positive views about social integration of mentally ill persons. The group of students who failed to recognize the case vignettes satisfactorily also expressed negative views in four out of five OMI scale factors.