Community Attitudes Research Articles

KOMUNITAS SAMIN DALAM PUSARAN PERUBAHAN DARI PETANI MENJADI PEKERJA URBAN

This paper describes the attitude of youth Samin community in Kudus Central Java. Data collected by interview, observation, and literature was analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach. Result, Samin is Javanese ethnic community the originally driven by Ki Samin against invaders in Blora, Central Java. Its existence extends to city Kudus until now. Youth Samin community in Kudus attitude the see changes in parental attitude from famers came urban workers. The result (1) follow a lifestyle now and (2)no longer a farmer, and (4) younger generation idol a millennial profession. The impact, want to be an urban and worker become urban worker.

Conservation or deforestation: Households attitudinal analysis of forest resources for sustainable development of the Tain (II) Forest Reserve, Ghana

Forest conservation has recently become a global necessity, capturing considerable attention from scholars and policymakers. However, rampant deforestation remains a significant catalyst for the recent exacerbated climatic repercussions in forest regions. This study examined the perspectives regarding forest conservation and assessed their relationship with household income conditions in Ghana. Primary data were gleaned from two hundred fifty households within five communities around Ghana's Tain (II) forest reserve using a participatory rural assessment approach and interviews with structured questionnaires. The survey considered (i) socio-demographic drivers, (ii) basic family information, and (iii) forest conservation characteristics as hypothetical incentives to promote forest conservation and poverty alleviation. The findings revealed varied perspectives on conservational attitudes in the forest fringe communities. Marital status, education, employment, home size, and other factors influenced opinions in forest conversations. The study suggested the need for tailored ecological compensation and agroforestry practices to reduce deforestation in the Tain (II) Forest reserve area.

Responding to the information and prevention needs of sub-Saharan African communities in Antwerp at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pre-existing racial and ethnic disparities in health, sustained by complex and intersecting socio-economic and structural inequities have exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is limited evidence about how communities have experience the COVID-19 epidemic, and their perception of the causes and effects of COVID-19 related burden. This hinders true engagement with communities and co-creation of comprehensive prevention strategies including structural prevention that can address health disparities. We conducted this study to explore local needs, perceptions, and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its control measures among Sub-Saharan African (SSA) communities in the Antwerp metropolitan area (Belgium) in 2020. Findings from this study may inform future responses to pandemic outbreaks while considering input from ethnic and racialised minorities in order to understand the intersecting factors causing their vulnerabilities.
 This study was part of a qualitative rapid assessment of information and prevention needs among ethnic and racial minorities living in Antwerp during the first COVID-19 wave in 2020. We used an interpretative and participatory ethnographic approach, conducting semi-structured interviews to explore personal experiences and a focus group discussion to capture community perceptions and attitudes. Data were collected online or by phone between April and September 2020. A community advisory board was set-up to advised on recruitment of participants, data collection and interpretation of findings. Data were transcribed and analysed using a thematic analytical approach.
 A total of 27 participants were included. Results showed that study participants and people in their social networks received information mostly through social media, and struggled with misinformation about the new virus and prevention measures. The combination of intersecting social and economic disadvantages made coping with control measures difficult for those living in precarious circumstances. Structural disparities combined with a lack of information made it particularly challenging to adhere to COVID-19 prevention guidelines, leading to vicious cycles. Despite those COVID-19-related challenges, the pandemic also provided important lessons about social resilience and coping strategies of SSA communities in Antwerp. Communities developed a number of community-based initiatives. Community and religious leaders improvised ad hoc solutions to challenges, from filling-in knowledge and information gaps among their members to developing creative solutions to mitigate the multi-layered impact of the lockdown measures: translating prevention messages, fighting misinformation, providing food packages for those in need, helping with administration, etc.
 To better design support and control strategies targeted to specific groups, such as racialised and ethnic minorities, we need not only to involve communities in developing an adequate response by addressing their specific needs and concerns, but also build on their strengths and resilience. This will remain important in the context of widening disparities and future epidemics.
 This presentation targets people with prevention and care needs and healthcare policy makers. The lessons from our research will be discussed with the view on co-design of prevention strategies for future crises.

Perinatal health framework for people with intellectual disability

We propose a framework for guiding research on perinatal health in people with intellectual disability (ID). We developed this framework based on the perinatal health framework for people with physical disabilities, American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities conceptual framework of human functioning, disability reproductive justice framework, trauma-informed care, and socio-ecological model. The framework reflects health outcomes of birthing people with ID and their infants that result from interactions of factors across the life course at policy (health, social, and disability policies), community (attitudes, social and physical environment), institutional (health care delivery-related factors, access to information/resources), interpersonal (social determinants of health/histories of trauma, social support, interactions with service-providers), and individual levels (demographics, intellectual functioning, adaptive behavior, health conditions, genetic factors, psychosocial factors, health behaviors). This framework will facilitate research to identify factors leading to perinatal health disparities in people with ID and development and evaluation of resources to address them.

Small towns in Russia as a comfortable living space: myth vs reality (based on the Vologda region)

The comfort of the urban environment is one of the key factors influencing the quality of life for the population. A particular focus is placed on examining small towns (with a population of up to 50,000 people) from the perspective of their suitability for local community living. In order to comprehensively study the issue of a comfortable urban environment in the Russian provinces, the dynamics of the urban environment quality index in a number of cities in the Vologda Region were analysed, and survey materials from local residents (n = 1400) were also utilised. It is argued that sociological diagnostics complements and reveals statistical information on problem areas in urban development, allowing for the development of a unified approach to overcoming these issues, taking into account the opinions of the residents themselves. The study concluded that over the past five years, the development of small towns in the region has shown a positive trend, with an increase in the urban environment quality index being observed. However, based on the data for 2022, only 4 out of 13 small towns (Veliky Ustyug, Kharovsk, Totma, Sokol) can be considered as having a favourable urban environment. According to statistical data, the most problematic areas of the urban environment in small areas are social and recreational infrastructure and public business infrastructure. According to the opinions of residents, the quality of medical and educational services and housing availability are also significant issues. More positively, the environmental situation is evaluated in cities (as indicated by the index indicators and local residents’ judgments), as well as the level of safety and crime rates. Despite the presence of problematic areas in the development of small towns and their lag in terms of living comfort, the overall attitude of the local community toward theirplace of residence is positive, with a willingness to take responsibility for the city’s development. The results obtained serve as a basis for the policy of preserving and developing small areas, addressing social contradictions, and establishing promising directions for creating a comfortable living environment in these areas, taking into account the opinions and participation of the local community in these processes.

Colonialism, Diasporic Politics and Alternate History in Shauna Singh Baldwin’s What the Body Remembers and Anita Rau Badami’s Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?

Shauna Singh Baldwin in her novel What the Body Remembers (1999) and Anita Rau Badami in Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? (2006) take up diverse treatises which are advantageous in the construction of subjectivity of a postcolonial subject. The present article deals with Baldwin’s representation of the nation and Badami’s depiction of politics, which trespass borders and affect diaspora Sikhs and members of other communities. Colonialism has been one of the causes of communalism which resulted in distortions in the historical representations of the events. Both the novelists amidst religious and historical landscapes of India also make political statements in their distinctive ways. It is interesting to analyze these statements from the perspective of postcolonial discourse as both authors belong to a period when literary texts and histories are being re-examined with a counter-narrativistic assessment. Both the authors bring out the Sikh perspective on the colonial and racist policies of the British in India and the colonial/postcolonial racist attitude of majority communities in foreign lands towards ethnic minorities through the characters taken in the novels under study. Politics of extremism and fundamentalism is the crux of both the novels. The English language has been shown to have been given a special status in the colonial regime. How language becomes a tool of both subversion and oppression is an important theme in both novels. The novels interrogate written history from alternate perspectives through the turmoil of time and space in which the novels are written. Both Badami and Baldwin conceive their characters presenting them as products of their time, place and environment.

Local Insights into Rural Tourism: A Study of Heeloya in the Knuckles Mountain Range

With its natural attractiveness and cultural prosperity, the Knuckles Mountain Range presents an exclusive opportunity for rural tourism, which Heeloya, a village nestled within this biodiverse area, has begun to embrace. This article investigates the local community's perceptions and attitudes towards tourism, examining the meaning of tourism in their traditional lifestyle, economy, and environment. Employing a mixed-methodological approach, the study integrates qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys analyzed through qualitative descriptive analysis and descriptive statistics. The qualitative descriptive analysis enabled the emergence of concepts underlying rural tourism. These concepts were further validated with selected quotations. A concept map created using Leximancer further substantiated these underlying conceptions and clarified the interconnectedness between the concepts. The findings suggest that the community is thoughtfully optimistic about the potential of rural tourism, encouraging a participatory approach to tourism development and engagement to ensure that it remains in congruence with Heeloya’s cultural essence and the grand Knuckles Mountain Range. This research contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable rural tourism, providing valuable insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and communities considering tourism as a pathway for rural development.

Community Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Related to Strabismus and Strabismus Treatment and Surgery in Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia.

Strabismus is the misalignment of the visual axis of both eyes caused by abnormalities in binocular vision or anomalies of neuromuscular control of ocular motility.This study aimed to assess the community knowledge, attitude, and practices related to strabismus and strabismus treatment and surgery in the Al-Jouf region of Saudi Arabia. This study utilized a quantitative cross-sectional design. The consented volunteering adult participants were randomly selected through sequential enrollment to the completion of the target sample size from five population groups constituting the Al-Jouf region of Saudi Arabia. The data were collected through an online validated self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study included 340 participants; 67.6% of them were females and 32.4% were males. Only 66.8% of participants correctly defined strabismus. Symptoms of strabismus were identified as double vision (58.5%), blurred vision (48.2%), headache (31.8%), eye fatigue (41.5%), and difficulty reading (47.1%). Regarding risk factors of strabismus, 48.5% reported family history, 39.4% reported uncorrected refractive errors, and 23.2% reported long screen time. Complications of untreated strabismus were reported as low self-confidence (39.1%), vision loss (27.6%), poor interpersonal relationships (25.9%), amblyopia (42.6%), and cosmetic stigma (14.1%). Only 45.6% of the participants agreed to marry someone with strabismus or allow their relatives to do so. The majority of participants (72.6%) would advise a strabismus patient to visit an ophthalmologist. Despite a higher knowledge regarding strabismus among females, younger agers, higher education, single persons, workers/students, and those inhabiting the capital city of the region, such association did not reach significance. The study shows a moderate level of knowledge, attitude, and practices among the general population of Al-Jouf Saudis towardstrabismus. There was no significant relationship between knowledge of strabismus and any of the demographic characteristics of the participants. This might prove detrimental to the early detection and treatment of strabismus to prevent its complications and improve its outcomes and the quality of patients' lives. Institution of correlation plans are mandated by the Ministry of Health and interested stakeholders.

Stigma towards people with mental illness and community mental health ideology among university students: A comparative study

The study examines the difference between the stigma among psychology and non-psychology students towards people with mental illness and to find out their ideology towards community mental health services. A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students. All together (N= 300) participants were recruited through the quota convenient sampling. CAMI (Community Attitude towards the Mentally Ill) scale was used in this research, assess four types of attitudes towards mental illness (i.e., Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social restrictiveness, and Community mental health ideology). The findings of this study show a significant difference between the attitudes of psychology and non-psychology students. Both the subscales, authoritarianism and social restrictiveness conclude that non-psychology students showed more authoritative and restrictive behavior towards mentally ill people and are less oriented towards community mental health ideology as compared to psychology students. However, psychology students showed less benevolence as compared to non-psychology students towards mentally ill people. Additional findings indicated that the level of authoritarianism, social restrictiveness, and benevolence is high among males as compared to females. The study highlights the need for society to develop a plan and action to change stigma attached to mental illness at both institutional and community levels.

Coexisting with carnivores: insights into local attitudes toward African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) in the Maasai Mara, Kenya

ABSTRACT Coexistence between humans and carnivores enables the persistence or recovery of wildlife populations. In 2018, we conducted a survey in Kenya’s Greater Mara Ecosystem to explore community attitudes toward the reestablishment of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) following their regional disappearance. Analyzing data from 60 households, we found that proximity to protected areas, land lease to conservancies, and risk perception significantly influenced people’s tolerance of African wild dogs, as revealed by Generalized Linear Models. Notably, there were no instances of human attacks and 78% of respondents had not experienced livestock predation, indicating positive coexistence. Among those perceiving a risk, 37 out of 46 recognized livestock predation only occurred when livestock were unguarded during the day. These findings highlight the potential for coexistence and species recovery in this mixed-use landscape, emphasizing the importance of effective conservation education, livestock management, and economic incentives.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of community pharmacists toward irritable bowel syndrome, Sudan

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder affecting around 20% of the populations worldwide. Treatment of IBS typically focuses on managing predominant symptoms and the pathophysiology, such as the visceral hypersensitivity. This study was conducted to assess community pharmacist knowledge, attitude and practice of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Khartoum locality.A descriptive cross-sectional study was done. The study was performed among all community pharmacist working at the pharmacies in the study area. Ethical approval from the Ministry of health was first granted (NUSU2021/3-5), then approvals was obtained from each of pharmacy administration. Pharmacists that were registered by Sudan medical counsel, while pharmacy technician and other staff were excluded. Association among variables was assessed through chi-square test, all tests were considered significant when p <0.05.Most of the pharmacist were females (68%, n= 70). Fifty-eight percent (n=60) had good knowledge about IBS. Ninety-three percent (n=96) knew the common symptoms. Eighty-six percent (n=89) of the participants reported that the diagnosis of IBS was based on symptoms. Although the knowledge score was good, but their knowledge about medications and lifestyle modifications was poor. Good attitude was noticed in 55% (n= 57) of the pharmacists. Sixty-one percent (n=63) of pharmacists agree with that they need courses regarding IBS. Fifty-one percent (n= 53) of them agreed with IBS has become one of the most health problems they were involved. Also fifty-one percent (n=53) of them agree with that the symptoms of IBS never disappear. Regarding practice, 63% (n= 65) of pharmacists had good practice.Majority of the participants had good knowledge and attitude and practice about IBS. The need for continuous education was recommended by the participants.

Sistem Pembagian Warisan, Berdasarkan Hukum Adat Kletek Taruik, di Desa Alas, Kecamatan Kobalima Timur, Kabupaten Malaka

This study aims to determine the inheritance distribution system based on Kletek Taruik customary law, in Alas Village, East Kobalima District, Malaka Regency and the current community attitude towards the inheritance distribution system, based on Kletek Taruik customary law, in Alas Village, East Kobalima District, Malaka Regency. The research method used in this study is empirical legal research. The sources and types of data in this study are primary data obtained from the results of field studies with interviews. Secondary data were obtained from literature studies. The data obtained is then processed by checking and correcting the data. After the data is processed then analyzed qualitatively. Based on the results of research and discussion, it can be concluded that the community in Alas Village, East Kobalima District, Malaka Regency, adheres to the matrilineal principle in the distribution of inheritance property, where more inheritance for daughters or also called heirs are daughters, because girls are members of the tribe who will continue the descendants of the heirs, while the son even though he is the eldest but he only helps manage or process The inheritance, because the daughter is considered more responsible in taking care of the inheritance of her parents than the son who will submit to his wife's family. The community in Alas Village, East Kobalima District, Malaka Regency, is very accepting of the prevailing customary rules where girls have full rights to their outgoing customary inheritance, but it does not rule out the possibility for sons to also receive inheritance from both parents based on mutual agreement.

A SURVEY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICES ABOUT MALARIA TRANSMISSION, SYMPTOMS AND PREVENTION AMONG THE PEOPLE OF A RURAL COMMUNITY LAHORE

Malaria is one of the deadliest diseases worldwide, and it is particularly prevalent in tropical regions. In Pakistan, malaria is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, with over 1.6 million cases reported in 2022. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were an estimated 247 million incidences of malaria and 691000 malaria deaths globally in 2017. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of a rural community in Lahore, Pakistan, regarding malaria prevention. A community-based, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to May 2023. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from survey participants who were identified using a simple random sampling technique. The participant's knowledge, attitude, and practice levels were measured. Data was analyzed using SPSS. The study found that the rural community in Lahore generally has good knowledge about malaria prevention, including its transmission, primary symptoms, and control measures. This knowledge can help improve people's attitudes and practices, ultimately leading to better prevention of malaria in the area.

Have Arguments For and Against Medical Aid in Dying Stood the Test of Time?

Have Arguments For and Against Medical Aid in Dying Stood the Test of Time?

Great Evacuation of Vilnius in 1915

Due to the threat of Vilnius being captured by the approaching German troops, the tsarist authorities decided to hastily move to the empire not only government administration units, industrial plants, and educational and financial institutions, but also the most valuable resources of cultural institutions, movable sacred objects, and Russian monuments. The population leaving the city also took with them valuable items, including objects of historic and commemorative value, as well as works of art. At the time, the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania suffered colossal losses of movable cultural heritage objects collected over several centuries. Thanks to the dignified attitude of the local community remaining in Vilnius, it was possible to partially secure and save many items of cultural property from being exported, destroyed or dispersed.

Swimming Upstream in the Academic Library: Exploring Faculty Needs for Library Streaming Media Collections

Objective - To compare Portland State University’s (PSU) local experience of using streaming media to national and international trends identified in a large qualitative study by Ithaka S+R. This comparison will help librarians better understand if the PSU Library is meeting the needs of faculty with its streaming media collection through a series of faculty interviews. Methods and Intervention - Two librarians from PSU participated in a large, collaborative, two-part study conducted by Ithaka S+R in 2022, with 23 other academic institutions in the United States, Canada, and Germany As part of this study, the authors conducted a series of interviews with faculty from PSU’s Social Work and Film Studies departments to gather qualitative data about their use, expectations, and priorities relating to streaming media in their teaching. Ithaka S+R provided guided interview questions, and librarians at PSU conducted interviews with departmental faculty. Local interview responses were compared to the interviews from the other 23 institutions. Results - PSU Library had a higher rate of faculty satisfaction than in the larger survey. Discussions raised concerns around accessibility of content, which was novel to PSU, and did not meaningfully emerge in the broader study. Local findings did line up with broader trends in the form of concerns about cost, discoverability, and lack of diverse content. Conclusions - The data collected by Ithaka S+R’s survey, which was the first part of their two-part study, is useful as it highlights the trends and attitudes of the greater academic library community. However, the second portion of the study’s guided interviews with campus faculty reinforced the importance of accessibility, the Library’s provision of resources, and the relationships between subject liaisons and departmental instructors. It emphasized that Portland State University’s Library has built a good foundation with faculty related to this area but has not been able to provide for every streaming instructional need. Reasons for this include limited acquisitions budgets, constraints of staff time, and market factors.

“A shot reputation:” rape in colonial Australia and why it matters today

emotion that is a learned response and its effect on society. The roots of the framing of rape and sexual assault as we see it today in Australia go back to colonial times and the narratives of sexual crime executed in racy language that were freely circulated in Australian colonial press. The reports of Mount Rennie rape case by the frequency and “cross-cultural references invoked in discussing the crime achieved a singular level of cultural production which has far wider references than legal history” (Peers 1998). They gave birth to the debate of the “real rape” vs. “simple rape” as defined by Susan Estrich (1987) and marked Australian public discourse and public attitude toward rape until the present day. Thus, in November 2015 Michaelia Cash, Minister for Employment and Minister for Women claimed “We have a national crisis when it comes to violence against women in Australia” to which testify reports of the Australian Bureau of Statistics on women’s safety, National Student Safety report, all the way to Brittany Higgins’ story and the way it was dealt with in the media and within the legal system. As long as “One in seven young Australians say rape is justified if women change their mind” according to National Community Attitudes Towards Violence Against Women Survey (NCAS) there is still a lot to be done to change the cultural narrative of “real rape” so that rape does not go underreported and unpunished as women fear shot reputation.

A review of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding mosquitoes and mosquito-borne infectious diseases in nonendemic regions.

Mosquito-borne infectious diseases (MBIDs) present significant public health risks within tropical and subtropical regions. However, the rapid spread of MBIDs from these areas to temperate regions increase the risk of their emergence in nonendemic regions, i.e., regions where diseases are still sporadic and not sustained in the population. Raising awareness about preventive measures and protective behaviors is of primary importance to face the risks of vector-borne diseases. In this context, the number of studies on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) about mosquitoes and MBIDs has grown rapidly in response to the need to identify knowledge and practices in nonendemic countries to fight mosquito proliferation. Building upon the recent developments in this field, we conducted the first-ever literature review to examine KAP studies conducted in nonendemic regions. Our aim was to identify the community's knowledge and attitudes that shape practices concerning the prevention of MBIDs. We used specific keywords regarding the scope of this review and then selected studies that were performed in nonendemic regions for MBIDs, including regions located in European countries, the USA or Asia. We identified 32 KAP studies, the oldest from 2003. The findings in the reviewed studies show that survey participants generally possessed a rather good understanding of mosquito breeding sites. However, there were notable variations in knowledge and perception of MBIDs, primarily linked to the geographic location of the survey and the prevalence of infectious outbreaks related to mosquito transmission. These findings highlight the significant influence of knowledge and awareness in fostering effective mosquito control practices. Moreover, socioeconomic status, particularly educational attainment, and respondents' gender emerged as key determinants in explaining the variability of appropriate practices. The survey results thus show the crucial role of knowledge, emphasizing the need for widespread awareness and information campaigns, encompassing both appropriate practices and efficient mosquito control methods. Understanding the interaction between these factors could provide good guidelines for implementing awareness plans and ultimately motivate the population to actively fight against mosquito proliferation and MBIDs development.

Climate change: Attitudes and concerns of, and learnings from, people with neurological conditions, carers, and health care professionals.

Concern about climate change among the general public is acknowledged by surveys. The health care sector must play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to a changing climate, which will require the support of its stakeholders including those with epilepsy, who may be especially vulnerable. It is important to understand this community's attitudes and concerns about climate change and societal responses. A survey was made available to more than 100 000 people among a section of the neurological community (patients, carers, and clinicians), focused on epilepsy. We applied quantitative analysis of Likert scale responses supported by qualitative analyses of free-text questions with crossover analyses to identify consonance and dissonance between the two approaches. A small proportion of potential respondents completed the survey; of 126 respondents, 52 had epilepsy and 56 explicitly declared no illness. The survey indicated concern about the impact of climate change on health within this neurological community focused on epilepsy. More than half of respondents considered climate change to have been bad for their health, rising to 68% in a subgroup with a neurological condition; over 80% expected climate change to harm their health in future. Most (>75%) believed that action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will lead to improved health and well-being. The crossover analysis identified cost and accessibility as significant barriers. The high level of concern about climate change impacts and positive attitudes toward policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions provide support for climate action from the epilepsy community. However, if policies are implemented without considering the needs of patients, they risk being exclusionary, worsening inequalities, and further threatening neurological health and well-being.

The effects of a psychiatric clerkship on stigmatizing attitudes toward mental disorders as held by German medical students.

According to the United Nations, access to medical care is a fundamental human right. However, there is widespread stigmatization of severe mental illnesses and this appears to seriously hamper the quality of healthcare in people with psychiatric co-morbidity. Thus, interventions that help reduce stigma among healthcare providers are urgently needed. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of a psychiatric clerkship on stigmatizing attitudes toward mental disorders held by medical students. Between 2018 and 2019, a total of 256 third- and fourth-year students from Marburg University Medical School (Germany) completed two surveys-one before and one after a 2 week clerkship program that was designed to prioritize direct interaction with the patients. For measuring stigma, the questionnaires contained questions about students' attitudes toward psychiatry (ATP), including the Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers (OMS-HC), Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI), and measurements according to the Stereotype-Content Model (SCM). We conducted pre-vs.-post comparisons using the Wilcoxon signed rank test with continuity correction or paired t-test and employed the Spearman method for correlational analysis. We considered p < 0.05 significant and adjusted all p-values reported here using the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure to account for family-wise error. After the clerkship, a significantly reduced stigma was found, as assessed with ATP (mean p < 0.001), OMS-HC (sum and subscale "attitudes" p < 0.001; subscale "disclosure" p = 0.002), and both SCM subscales (p < 0.001). Moreover, we observed significant associations between stigma expression (e.g., OMS-HC sum) and the willingness of students to choose psychiatric residency after finishing medical school (before clerkship: p < 0.001; ρ = -0.35; change after clerkship: p = 0.004; ρ = -0.2). Our findings indicate that a psychiatric clerkship that involves students in direct interaction with patients may effectively reduce stigma. Therefore, we advocate the incorporation of components of direct interaction in medical education to combat stigma and unequal treatment, as this could improve outcomes in patients with severe mental illnesses.