Community Mental Health Ideology Research Articles

The attitudes of nonpsychiatric nurses towards mental disorders in China.

Few studies have explored the associated factors of attitudes of nonpsychiatric nurses towards mental disorders. Therefore, this study is aimed to evaluate the attitudes of nonpsychiatric nurses towards mental disorders and especially explore the association between psychiatric clinical practice and these attitudes. A total of 1324 nonpsychiatric nurses and students majoring in nursing were recruited through an online questionnaire from December 2021 to March 2022 in Sichuan Province, China. Demographic information, personal care experience, psychiatric nursing education and the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI) were collected. A higher score indicates a stigmatizing attitude in the authoritarianism and social restrictiveness (SR) subscales and a positive attitude in the benevolence and community mental health ideology (CMHI) subscales. Multivariate linear regression was employed to analyze associated factors of attitudes towards mental disorders, and hierarchical linear regression was used to analyze the association between psychiatric clinical practice and the attitudes towards mental disorders. Under the control of confounders, high education level, long residence in urban and personal care experience were positively correlated with score of authoritarianism and SR (p < 0.05), and negatively correlated with score of benevolence (p < 0.05). Long residence in urban and personal care experience were negatively correlated with score of CMHI (p < 0.05). Hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that after adjusting for demographic information, psychiatric clinical practice was associated with lower score of benevolence (B = -0.09, 95%CI = -0.17 ~ -0.003, p = 0.043) and CMHI (B = -0.09, 95%CI = -0.17 ~ -0.01, p = 0.027), but the initial associations between psychiatric clinical practice and authoritarianism, SR disappeared. High education level, long residence in urban, personal care experience and the psychiatric clinical practice were associated with the discrimination of nonpsychiatric nurses towards mental disorders. Further exploring practical strategies to optimize the psychiatric clinical practice experience of nonpsychiatric nurses could help improve their attitudes towards mental disorders.

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.

STIGMA TOWARDS PATIENTS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG POSTGRADUATE TRAINEES OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Objective: To assess stigmatizing attitude by using “Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness” (CAMI) subscale scores toward patients with mental illness among postgraduate trainees of a tertiary care facility. Study Design: Descriptive Cross sectional study. Place and duration of study: This study was conducted at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi from December to June 2019. Subjects and Methods: A total number of 110 FCPS Postgraduate Trainees working in different departments of JPMC were selected. Study variables like age, gender, marital status, speciality, year of training, total duration of clinical experience, the experience of working in the psychiatry department, family and personal history of psychiatric illness were collected through semi-structured proforma and stigma was assessed by “Community Attitudes Towards Mental Illness ” (CAMI) scale which had four subscales: Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social Restrictiveness and Community Mental Health Ideology (CMHI). Results: 110 doctors participated in the study. We found a 30.9% stigma among postgraduate trainees. Those with clinical experience of 1-4 years had higher benevolence scores than those who had clinical experience of 4-8 years. Female gender has higher scores on Benevolence and Community Mental Health Ideology subscale than males, which showed female has a more positive attitude towards mental illness. Those with a personal history of psychiatric illness had less score on a social restrictive scale which showed a less stigmatizing attitude. Conclusion: Mental illness is a severe issue that affects millions of people worldwide. Many people who suffer from mental illness are often stigmatized by society and even medical professionals. It is important to create awareness among healthcare professionals about the importance of understanding and treating mental illness with respect and compassion.

Attitude Towards the Mentally Ill Among Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) Workers in the Ahmedabad City of Gujarat.

The community misunderstands mental illness, resulting in stigmatizing attitudes toward persons with mental illness. High mental health literacy (MHL) among Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers can help spread mental health awareness to the community. The study aimed to assess the attitudes of ASHA workers toward the mentally ill. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among ASHA workers in the city of Ahmedabad using the Community Attitude toward Mentally Ill (CAMI) scale - Gujarati version. Census sampling was used to collect data from ASHA workers at various Urban Health Centers (UHC). We analyzed 265 responses. The mean (SD) of authoritarianism (AU), benevolence (BE), social restrictiveness (SR), and community mental health ideology (CMHI) subscales were 29.77(3.35), 35.33(3.78), 34.55(3.49), and 37.15(4.42), respectively (a higher mean suggests a negative attitude in the AU and SR subscales and a positive attitude in the BE and CMHI subscales). Although ASHA workers displayed goodwill and a welcoming attitude on the BE and CMHI subscales, they showed negative and stigmatizing attitudes on certain items of the AU and SR subscales. This necessitates a widespread mental health education campaign and training program for them.

Perception of Clergymen on the Care and Stigmatization of Persons with Mental Illness in Nigeria

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate clergymen's training, knowledge, perception and experience of mental illness.&#x0D; Methods: The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative study designs conducted among a total of 148 student population of the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary Ogbomoso. The stratified random sampling technique was used for the quantitative approach using the (Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) scale and the socio-demographic questionnaire while purposive sampling of the respondents was used for the qualitative approach. Data collated for the quantitative technique was analyzed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.&#x0D; Results: The Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informant Interviews (KII) respondents believe that all mental illnesses are traceable directly or indirectly to spiritual factors, that certain sociocultural discriminations exist and that the local church is a healing community. The Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) benevolence subscale reveals that 76.4% of them want tax money to be spent on treating mental illness although 57.4% view mental hospitals as prisons. The Social restrictiveness subscale showed that 46.6% did not agree to engage women with a previous history of mental illness as babysitters and 37.2% did not agree to have them as neighbours. On the community mental health ideology subscale; about 70.3% have them live in neighbourhoods although 82.4% of them feel the mentally ill are awkward.&#x0D; Conclusions: With improved mental health knowledge; the Baptist clergymen may ensure referral to orthodox medical services, encourage compliance and banish discrimination against the mentally ill crucial for the WHO scale up program in Nigeria.

Demonic Possession or too much Time to Think; How do People Behave Towards Mentally Ill? An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study in Tertiary Care Hospitals

Objective: To assess the basis of community’s acceptance and opposition towards mentally ill patients.&#x0D; Study Design: Analytical cross-sectional study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: OPDs of Pak Emirates Military Hospital and Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan,from May to Sep 2022.&#x0D; Methodology: This research was done among the general public visiting the outpatient departments of Pak Emirates Military Hospital and Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan. Information was gathered by surveys from 200 people, 20 years of age and older, who were able to read and understand the offered questions based on a modified 27-item CAMI scale excluding subjects who were unwilling. The four categories of authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness and community’s mental health ideology were used to group the data. IBM SPSS Statistics Version 26 was utilized for data analysis. For descriptive statistics the mean of each of the four domains and for inferential statistics Independent t-test and One-way ANOVA tests were used.&#x0D; Results: Among 120 males and 80 females with mean age of 33±8.89 the mean scores for domains of "authoritarianism,""benevolence," "social restrictiveness," and "community's mental health ideology" were 2.8±0.66; 3.2±1; 2.7±0.97 and 3±0.96 respectively. Males exhibited more encouraging attitudes than females. A significant association was found in individuals with higher secondary and below for the domain of benevolence with mean of 3.3; p-value 0.048.&#x0D; Conclusion: Participants of the study considered mentally ill individuals a threat to the community that needs forcible methods to manage. However, they showed supportive and inclusive attitude on sympathetic and religious principles. Males and those with higher education were more supportive.

Attitudes toward people with mental disorders in Bulgaria.

Public attitudes toward people with mental disorders determine their life chances and potential integration in society. In this article, we present results from a large representative study that aims to understand whether and how Bulgarian society stigmatizes people with mental disorder, and how demographic characteristics relate to certain types of attitudes. The CAMI III instrument was the basis for the specific research design. The article presents two types of analysis of the data. Firstly, Factor analysis revealed three factors which partially coincide with original categories of the CAMI III Scale - Factor 1 'Authoritarianism and Social Restrictiveness', Factor 2 'Benevolence and Community Mental Health Ideology', and Factor 3 'Liberalism'. Secondly, a one-way ANOVA test was carried out, taking the assigned factor scores as dependent variable, on one hand, and demographic and social-economic characteristics as independent variables, on the other. Results reveal that people between 18-24 and over 75 years old are the most authoritarian and socially restrictive, while those between 24-75 years old are the most benevolent. Our analysis show an influence of religion and ethnicity on authoritarianism and social restrictiveness, but on benevolence as well. Education, occupation, and profession is related to the scores of the factors. The results correspond to findings from studies form other contexts but reveal underrepresented aspects such as 1. socio-economic characteristics - ethnicity and religion; 2. the socializing role of the institutions in the formation of the image of the mentally ill among different age groups.

Determinant Factors of Community Attitude Towards Mental Illness in Northern Ethiopia: Mixed Method

Background: About 76% and 85% of people in low and middle-income countries with severe mental illness did not receive treatment due to fear of expected discrimination and stigma against diagnosed people with mental illness. There are no published works on the attitude of the community to mental illness in this study area. Aim: This study aimed to assess the attitude and its’ associated factors towards mental illness among residents of Mertule Mariam town. Methods: A Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2019. Descriptive and binary logistic regression analyses were employed to identify the determinant factors for community attitude. Result: The response rate was 98.2% with the sex distribution of 58.5% (554) males. The attitudes of the community were more authoritarian (52.8%), less benevolent (52.3%), more socially restrictive (38.8%), and positive to mental health services (59.2%). Age between (35-44) [AOR=2.50, CI 1.56-4.23, P-value= 0.001] and (18-24) [AOR=3.08(1.5-6.3) p-value=0.002], have been significantly associated with authoritarianism and the benevolence subscale respectively. Getting information about mental illness [AOR=0.02, CI 0.05-0.75, P-value &lt;0.05], and involved in caring for the mentally ill [1.85(1.28-2.65)**] were significant variables for social restrictiveness and community mental health ideology subscale respectively. Conclusion and Recommendation: The attitude of the participant was more affected by getting information about mental illness and involved in caring mentally ill. Using mass media and health institutions to disseminate information about mental health and involving the community to care mentally ill is essential to improve their attitude.

Persian translation and validation of community attitudes toward the mentally ill scale: a tool for assessing social stigma about mental illness.

No study, best of our knowledge, has been conducted on assessing the validity and reliability of community attitudes toward the mentally ill (CAMI) inventory in Iran. The questionnaire was translated into Persian and then returned to English. Content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI), impact score (IS) to assess content validity, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability was used to prove the internal and external reliabilities, respectively. The questionnaires were distributed to 130 people from different levels of society. Some were in contact with at least one patient with mental illness and some others had no connection. After 2 weeks, the questionnaires were resent to 50 participants to evaluate the reliability using the test-retest method. All questions had CVI (>0.79) and CVR (>0.49) except for three questions (Q 10, 24, and 30), which were excluded from the questionnaire. The questions were relevant, clear, simple, and valid. The IS was more than 1.5. The Cronbach's alpha values of four subscales including authoritarianism, benevolence, social restrictiveness, and community mental health ideology were recorded as 0.61, 0.49, 0.64, and 0.76, respectively. The CAMI scale is a valid and sustainable tool over time to assess the negative attitude toward mental illness.

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.

Mental Stigma Among Al-Ahsa Population in Saudi Arabia.

IntroductionMental stigma is when patients of mental illness are labeled by their disorders, viewed negatively, and discriminated against due to their illness. This has a big impact on people's attitudes and behaviors toward the mentally ill. Moreover, mental stigma leads people to avoid patients with mental health issues, blame them for their conditions, and associate them with negative features like being dangerous, unpredictable, and hard to communicate with. The primary objective of this study is to assess the mental stigma among the population of the Al-Ahsa region in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study conducted in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, between June and August 2021. The target population of the study was people aged 18-65 years old whose place of residency during the time of the study was Al-Ahsa. The questionnaire used in this study contained a mental stigma scale called community attitudes toward mental illness (CAMI).ResultsA total of 758 participants were enrolled in the study. The mean of the stigma score was 99.24 ± 15.622, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 176. The means of the subscales were as follows: authoritarianism (26.18 ± 4.420), benevolence (23.26 ± 4.762), community mental health ideology (24.66 ± 5.896), and social restrictiveness (25.13 ± 4.6). There was a positive relationship between age and stigma score. Healthcare workers were found to have a lower level of stigma, as were those who spoke more languages. Also, being diagnosed with a mental illness and knowing someone who is diagnosed with a mental illness were associated with a lower level of stigma.ConclusionMost of the population (91.96%) had a low to medium-low level of stigma. The variables found to affect the level of stigma were age, career, number of spoken languages, being diagnosed with a mental illness, and knowing someone who is diagnosed with a mental illness. Mental stigma has a great impact on the person, as it can prevent the patient from seeking help, lead to isolation, and suicidal ideation. Future stigma-targeted campaigns are recommended.

간호대학생의 정신장애인에 대한 차별행동 영향요인

The purpose of this study was to explore factors associated with the discriminatory behavior toward mentally disabled people in the nursing students. Research objects are 286 students of department of nursing. Collected data were analyzed independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Linear Regression by IBM SPSS 21.0 for window program. As a result, affecting factors to the discriminatory behaviors of nursing students toward mentally disabled people were social restrictiveness, extortion of social fundamental rights, community mental health ideology, interpersonal social distancing, interpersonal physical distancing and authoritarianism. The experience of psychiatric nursing practice has led to positive changes in the interpersonal social distancing toward the mentally disabled, but it had negative impact for discrimination behavior. To reduce the discrimination behavior toward mentally disabled people, we should provide opportunities for accurate theoretical knowledge acquisition before the psychiatric nursing practice, and an opportunity to correct false perceptions should be provided by taking time to exchange feelings for the mentally disabled before and after mental nursing practice. Furthermore it necessary to design the curriculum so that systematic practice can take not only in hospitals but also in various institutions such as social return facilities.

Advancing research to eliminate mental illness stigma: an interventional study to improve community attitudes towards depression among University students in Singapore

BackgroundAfter decades of anti-stigma initiatives, the Advancing Research To Eliminate Mental Illness Stigma (ARTEMIS) intervention study is one of the first in Singapore to evaluate the effects of an anti-stigma intervention on attitudes towards depression in university students.Methods390 university students from a local university in Singapore were voluntarily recruited for the study. The ARTEMIS intervention comprises an educational and social contact component, as well as a question and answer (Q&A) session with experts in the area of mental health. The Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) scale was administered at baseline, post-intervention and at 3-months follow-up. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted.ResultsThe CFA identified a 3-factor model for the CAMI with a decent fit (RMSEA = 0.06, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.93, SRMR = 0.06). Favourable shifts in attitudes across the factors were observed immediately after the intervention (p < 0.001). Gender (β = − 1.19, 95% CI: − 2.10, − 0.27, p = 0.01) and nationality (β = − 1.23, 95% CI: − 2.35, − 0.11, p = 0.03) were identified as significant correlates for the community mental health ideology (CMHI) factor. Linear effects indicated that having a close social contact with mental illness observed a smaller decrease in authoritarianism scores from pre- to post-intervention (β = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.18, 1.53, p = 0.01); whereas quadratic effects found a greater decrease in scores from post-intervention to after 3-months for benevolence (β = − 0.34, 95% CI: − 0.52, − 0.16, p < 0.001) and CMHI (β = − 0.22, 95% CI: − 0.45, − 0.002, p = 0.048).ConclusionThe anti-stigma intervention shows promising short-term results across the CAMI dimensions even after adjusting for sociodemographic correlates. However, the intervention did not observe the sustained attitude shifts after 3-months. Recommendations for future anti-stigma interventions were also considered.

Can employment in a café change Clientele Attitude towards the staff when they are Persons with Mental Illness?

Clientele's attitude toward Persons with Mental Illness (PwMI) changes over a period of time. The aim of this study was to explore and understand how and whether perception about PwMI changes when they are seen working like persons without mental illness among those availing services of ROSes café at NIMHANS, Bengaluru. The descriptive research design was adopted with purposive sampling. Community Attitude toward Mentally Ill (CAMI) a self -administered questionnaire of was administered to measure the clientele attitude towards staff with mental illness in ROSes Café (Recovery Oriented Services). A total of 256 subjects availing services from the ROSes café recruited in the study. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U test was computed to see the association and differences on selected variables. The present study results showed that subjects had a positive attitude seen in health care professionals in the domains of benevolence (BE) (28.68 ± 3.00) and community mental health ideology (CMHI) (31.53 ± 3.19), whereas non-health care professionals had showed negative attitude in the domain of authoritarianism (AU) (30.54 ± 3.42) and social restrictiveness (SR) (30.18 ± 3.05). Education, employment, marital, income, and working status were significantly associated with CAMI domains. PwMI also can work like people without mental illness when the opportunities are provided. The community needs to regard mental illness in the same manner as chronic physical illness diabetes mellitus and allow PwMI to live a life of dignity by creating and offering opportunities to earn livelihood which would help them recover with their illnesses.

Public Stigma, Knowledge and Behaviors of the Attendees of Outpatient Clinics towards People with Mental Illness, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Mental stigma represents a critical obstacle for delivering mental health care.&#x0D; Aims: To determine public stigma, knowledge &amp; behaviors of the attendees of outpatient clinics towards People with Mental Illness (PWMI), King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.&#x0D; Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in 2018. A sample of 600 attendees of outpatient clinics of KAUH were included. A standardized interviewing data collection sheet was used. It included three scales namely: the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI), Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS) &amp; Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS). Authoritarian, socially restrictiveness, benevolent &amp; Community Mental Health Ideology of CAMI sub-scales were calculated. Descriptive, inferential, and multiple linear regression analyses were applied.&#x0D; Results: About two-thirds of the participants agreed that mental illness causes lacking self-discipline &amp; will power. Gender was significantly associated with all CAMI sub-scales (P &lt; 0.01). An increasing level of knowledge about mental illness was associated with lower stigma towards PWMI (P&lt; 0.001). After controlling confounders in regression analyses, gender and knowledge were significant predictors of all CAMI sub-scales. Concerning MAKS, about half of participants incorrectly identified stress &amp; grief as types of mental illness. Regarding RIBS, living with (30.2%), and having a neighbor (28.8%) with mental illness were the commonest reported experiences.&#x0D; Conclusions: Negative attitudes towards PWMI still prevailed. Mental stigma was higher among males, older people, lower-educators, lower-income &amp; those with poor mental knowledge. Participants had a moderate intention to accept PWMI. Anti-stigma intervention educational programs are required.

Scaling the Mental Health Literacy Amongst Undergraduate Students: A Road Towards Sustainable Development

Thesis Statement: In spite of being globally prevalent, mental illness faces apathy from the community as well as policymakers and is a point of grave social concern. Health—including mental health—and education are an imperative precondition of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Education plays a crucial role in inculcating a positive attitude towards mental illness hence high mental health literacy would benefit the society at large. The present research aims to decipher the knowledge and attitude of undergraduate college students towards mental illness. Method: Students of medicine, law and engineering from different colleges in Delhi, India were cross-sectionally surveyed to fathom their attitudinal differences towards mental illness using the CAMI Scale. Results: An affirmative response was observed on Benevolence as well as Community Mental Health Ideology Sub-Scales and a dissenting opinion was identified on the Authoritarian and Social Restrictive Sub-Scales, howbeit significant differences were discerned on the basis of faculty of education. Conclusions and Implications: Results suggested that to accomplish the aspirations of the SDGs there is an ardent need to improve mental health literacy of students. The course curriculum of students needs to be revisited to integrate informative sessions on mental illness. &#x0D; Keywords: Sustainable Development, Education, Mental Health Literacy, CAMI Scale, Undergraduate Students

Effectiveness of a Problem-Solving, Story-Bridge Mental Health Literacy Programme in Improving Ghanaian Community Leaders’ Attitudes towards People with Mental Illness: A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

In Ghana, people with mental disorders commonly experience negative attitudes and discrimination because of deep-rooted public stigma. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a mental health literacy programme in improving community leaders’ attitudes toward people with mental disorders. A cluster randomised controlled trial, comprising an intervention and control group, participated in a 3-hour problem-solving, Story-bridge mental health literacy programme. Data were collected at baseline and 12-week follow-up. The intervention group performed better in most outcome measures at follow-up compared to the control group. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups, in perceived stigma, community mental health ideology (CMHI), and benevolence outcome measures over the two time-points. Overall, the findings suggest that the programme was somewhat effective in improving community leaders’ attitudes and who might, subsequently, foster supportive, non-judgemental and empathetic attitudes toward individuals with mental disorders in their communities. There is scope for community psychiatric nurses and other primary health care workers to work with community leaders to increase public awareness of, and favourable attitudes toward, people with mental health problems in the community.

Perspectives of GCSE students attending a psychiatry summer school in south London.

This study evaluated a pilot psychiatry summer school for GCSE students in terms of participant experience, effects on attitudes to mental illness and perception of psychiatry as a career option. This was done using the Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill scale, career choice questionnaires and a discussion group following the week-long programme attended by 26 students. Students were significantly more likely to choose psychiatry after the summer school (P = 0.01). There were statistically significant changes in scores for social restrictiveness (P = 0.04) and community mental health ideology (P = 0.02). Qualitative analysis generated four themes: variation in expectations, limited prior knowledge, perception of the summer school itself and uniformly positive attitudes to psychiatry after the summer school. Targeting students at this early stage appears to be an underexplored positive intervention for improving both attitudes towards mental illness and recruitment to psychiatry.

Perceived Stigma Towards Mental Illness and Its Associated Factors among Community People of Pokhara Metropolitan, Kaski, Nepal

Introduction: Mental illness is a major and neglected public health problem. People suffering from mental health problems are among the foremost stigmatized, discriminated, marginalized, disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our society. According to the World Health Organization, 450 million people are suffering from mental illness worldwide and around 80% of them live in middle and low-income countries. In spite of the high burden of mental disorders, globally, around 70% of people with mental illness do not receive any treatment, and evidence suggests that stigma plays a major role in treatment avoidance. The objective of this study is to assess the level of perceived stigma towards mental illness and its associated factors among community people of Pokhara Metropolitan.&#x0D; Methods: A community based descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the people of Pokhara Metropolitan. Systematic random sampling was employed for the selection of 292 participants. Face to face interview was conducted for the data collection using Community Attitude Towards Mental Illness (CAMI) scale. Chi square test was used to find the association between variables and stigma towards mental illness on different subscales of CAMI scale.&#x0D; Results: The overall prevalence of stigma towards mental illness was 72.9%. The prevalence of stigma was high under all the four domains of CAMI scale. Age, education, occupation and income were significantly associated with stigma score in all domains. Marital status had significant association to authoritarian as well as social restrictiveness domains score. However, sex and family history of mental illness was associated with Benevolence and community mental health ideology score respectively.&#x0D; Conclusion: The findings of the study depicted that stigma towards mental illness is high among the community people in all four subscales of CAMI scale. The study has revealed the stigma towards mental illness is influenced by the various socio-demographic and socioeconomic factors. This study suggested that there is strong need to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illness to improve the mental health status of the region.

Effects of Movie-based Awareness Improvement Program on Attitudes toward Mental Illness among University Nursing Students

The purpose of this study is to develop and apply a movie-based program to university nursing students to improve their negative awareness of mentally ill persons. The study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a nonequivalent control group. The program decreased the scores of authoritarianism and social restrictiveness toward mentally ill persons and increased the scores of benevolence and community mental health ideology among the experimental group than the control group who did not participate in the program. The movie-based mental illness awareness improvement program was found to be an effective intervention in improving the attitude of university nursing students toward mentally ill persons. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to expand the application of this program to various groups to promote national awareness. In addition, it is suggested that long-term follow-up studies should be conducted to consider individual personality differences and verify the persistence of the effects through repeated measurements.