Discrimination
and stigmatization of people with mental illness are a global and complex
phenomenon linked to problems of knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Negative
attitudes, stereotypes and discrimination are still highly prevalent in the
population, including health care staff and health care students. Stigma and
discrimination in many ways affect people with a mental illness causing a
lowered self-esteem and quality of life, and affecting possibilities of
adequate housing, work and financial situation in a negative way.
In this paper, the authors asked students, whose future occupation
would be in the social and health care fields, about how they perceived people
suffering from schizophrenia, being as they are part of one of the most exposed
subgroups of people with mental illness. And attitudes towards people with
schizophrenia among 1101 students in eight different university programs
providing training for work in the health care and social sectors were
explored, using a cross-sectional design.
The results revealed that attitudes among students in different
education programs showed that irrespective of program a great majority of the
student’s perceived people with schizophrenia as unusual. In five of eight
education programs a majority of the students perceived people with
schizophrenia as a danger to others, and with regard to prospects of recovery
more than a third of the students in seven of eight education programs were
pessimistic about the possibilities to recover from schizophrenia. In several
aspects police students were found to hold more negative attitudes than
students from other programs. Students with previous experiences of work in
mental health services and students knowing a person with schizophrenia showed
more positive attitudes. And a larger proportion of students living alone
perceived persons with schizophrenia as more unpredictable than students who
were married or cohabiting.
In summary, attitudes among students towards people with
schizophrenia are in several instances comparable with attitudes as presented
by the general population. In order to decrease negative attitudes and
prejudices towards people with schizophrenia among students, it is essential
that the training includes personal contact with people with experiences of
being mentally ill.
Article by Bengt Svensson, et al, from
Sweden.
Full access: http://suo.im/4wRIGG
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