Graduate Education in Counseling and Related Educational Programs and the Stigma of Mental Illness

Abstract

Negative attitudes and stigma associated with mental illness have a profound impact on individuals who experience them. Limited research has been conducted to evaluate attitudes and beliefs associated with individuals with mental health issues among graduate students in counseling and related educational programs (CREPs). All participants were current graduate students enrolled in CREPs and were randomly assigned one of two groups which differed by type of vignette. Data were collected from 79 participants using two attitude scales: the Mental Health Provider Stigma Inventory (MHPSI) and the Attribution Questionnaire-27 (AQ-27). The vignettes were identical except for the mental health diagnosis of the individual: generalized anxiety disorder in one vignette and schizophrenia spectrum disorder in the other. Results of this study suggested that subjective feelings of blame, dangerousness, fear, avoidance, and segregation varied based on exposure to one of the two vignettes. For example, participants reported more feelings of blame toward the individual depicted as having generalized anxiety disorder compared to the one depicted as having schizophrenia. The data also showed a significant difference between the mean scores of rehabilitation counselors and the mean scores of other counselors in training on the MHPSI, indicating that rehabilitation counselors reported fewer stigmatizing attitudes. These results contribute to the body of knowledge surrounding mental health stigma among graduate students in CREPs with implications the role of stigma and training.