Abstract
Background: Negative and stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours towards people with mental health problems have the potential to lead to a lack of access to care, under-treatment, social marginalization, and can undermine the relationship between the patient and provider. The study aimed to measure attitude of healthcare professionals towards mental illness. Methods: Across sectional descriptive study was conducted over one month from April to May 2019 at Ras Al khaimah medical and health Science University and affiliated health care facilities. Mental Illness Clinicians’ Attitudes Scale version 4 Questionnaire was used to collect data from participants after obtaining their informed consent with assured confidentiality. Results: The study included 113 health care professionals. The mean score of attitude of health care professionals towards mental illness was 57.8 ± 10.8 out of 96. Negative attitudes were reported about the dangerousness, respect and suspicion over recovery of people with mental health problems, interactions with them in clinical practice, and fear of disclosure to colleagues or friends about mental health problems and confidence in capabilities of assessing mental health problems in primary care. The significant positive attitude was found among participants who were university faculty than those who worked in hospitals and Primary care centres (P = 0.04). Health care professionals who were university faculty and have reported more than 10 years of experience as health professionals reported significantly higher mean scores (P < 0.05). Neither age nor gender, or nationality appeared to be related to overall attitudinal responses towards mental illness. Conclusion: Educational programs might be useful to raise awareness towards the stigmatizing attitudes towards mental health and mental illnesses.
Highlights
Mental Health is a subject that has frequently surfaced in the past few years with numerous public programs and campaigns to educate the public
Negative and stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours towards people with mental health problems have the potential to lead to a lack of access to care, under-treatment, social marginalization, and can undermine the relationship between the patient and provider
Scientific literature showed that the healthcare system, even if non-institutional, is an environment where people living with mental health problems experience stigma
Summary
Mental Health is a subject that has frequently surfaced in the past few years with numerous public programs and campaigns to educate the public. Scientific literature showed that the healthcare system, even if non-institutional, is an environment where people living with mental health problems experience stigma. Stigma toward individuals with Mental Illness is a severe social problem as well as a heavy burden for affected people [4] [5] [11] This constant exposure to stigmatizing attitudes has the potential to lead to a lack of access to care, to under-treatment, to social marginalization, and can undermine the relationship between the patient and provider [12] [13] [14]. Negative and stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours towards people with mental health problems have the potential to lead to a lack of access to care, under-treatment, social marginalization, and can undermine the relationship between the patient and provider. Nationality appeared to be related to overall attitudinal
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