Changing Middle Schoolers' Attitudes About Mental Illness Through Education (original) (raw)
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BMC Psychology
Aim The current study aimed to assess and compare the level of knowledge and attitude towards mental illness between secondary school students and their teachers in Oman. Methods An online survey was carried out to collect data from 400 students and 411 teachers about their knowledge and attitudes toward people with mental illness. Two independent case studies about depression and schizophrenia were also tested. Results Students have a poor knowledge of mental illness compared with their teachers, as more than half scored less than 60% compared with 16.5% of the teachers. More than two-thirds of the students (80%) and teachers (76.4%) have a low or minor positive attitude toward people with mental illness. The study identified significant differences in knowledge in favour of teachers, although the opposite was found regarding attitudes. Conclusions Since students spend a significant amount of time in school, bridging the gap between teachers' and students’ knowledge and attitud...
The Guidance Journal, 2017
This study was conducted to determine the attitudes of college students towards mental illness which could serve as baseline data in designing a mental health awareness program in the school setting. To attain the aforementioned objective, the Community Attitudes to Mental Illness (CAMI) scale, developed by Taylor and Dear (1981), was administered to 150 college students. The results indicated that the students have high scores in authoritarianism which means that they view the mentally ill as an inferior or substandard individuals requiring coercive handling. In terms of social restrictiveness, they also scored high which shows that they view mentally ill as a threat or danger to society. On the contrary, the respondents have high benevolence reflecting their sympathetic view to those suffering from a mental illness. The respondents also recognize the therapeutic value of the community and acceptance of de-institutionalized care. Although the study shows that the students have sympathetic view to the mentally ill, their negative attitude in terms of social restrictiveness and authoritarianism must be addressed properly. Therefore, mental health awareness campaign in the university is recommended.
Mental Health Education, Awareness and Stigma Regarding Mental Illness Among College Students
Journal of Mental Health & Clinical Psychology, 2023
Objective: The present study examined whether psychoeducational tools are beneficial in improving awareness and reducing stigma regarding mental health. This study aims to increase mental health awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. Methods: The study is quantitative research. In this study, 147 students registered in the Abnormal Psychology course, which focuses on mental illness, were recruited. Students signed informed consent and participated in the study voluntarily. Students completed the demographic questions, Beliefs Toward Mental Illness Scale (BTMI), and Stig-9 questionnaire (stig-9). Results: Our findings revealed a significant difference in beliefs and awareness about mental health and a decrease in stigma after students completed the Abnormal Psychology course. The statistical analysis revealed that students believe mental health is more curable and less embarrassing after taking mental health education. Finally, our findings demonstrated a direct impact of the educational experience on student attitudes toward mental health. Conclusion: Our finding indicates that mental health education is a promising tool to raise awareness and understanding and reduce the stigma regarding mental health. Providing students with mental health education and training enabled students to learn and understand issues with mental illness. This study demonstrated a direct impact on the educational experience on student attitudes toward mental health.
College Students' Attitudes Toward Mental Illness: An Examination of the Stigma Process
Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 2007
Undergraduate students (96 female, 72 male) read 3 scenarios depicting either male or female characters with symptoms of depression, alcohol abuse, and common stress. Participants then completed measures assessing their attitudes about the character in the scenarios, as well as their level of social dominance orientation, empathy, adherence to traditional gender roles, and familiarity with mental illness. As predicted, participants who labeled the target mentally ill were more likely to view the target as dangerous. This, in turn, led to an increased desire for social distance. In contrast, empathy, although associated with increased likelihood of labeling, was associated with decreased desire for social distance. Implications of the results for reducing the social stigma of mental illness are discussed.