Experienced Turkish Nurses' Attitudes towards Mental Illness and the Predictor Variables of their Attitudes

Abstract

General attitudes towards mental illness, attitudes towards two vignettes, and possible predictor variables of these attitudes were investigated among experienced Turkish nurses. The analyses showed that the nurses accepted both organic and psychological causation and had rather positive views on drug treatment, psychotherapy, and prognosis. However, they were more favourably disposed towards psychological causation and psychotherapy; the paranoid schizophrenia description was more readily perceived as mental illness and more 'negative' ratings were recorded for this than was the case in the description of neurosis. In terms of predictors, university education was related to lower acceptance of psychotherapy and chances of recovery; older respondents showed higher social distance to the neurosis vignette. The findings were discussed within the context of previous findings from Turkey and other countries.

The Variability of Nursing Attitudes Toward Mental Illness: An Integrative Review

“…Three studies used the Attitudes Toward Acute Mental Illness Scale (ATAMH33) (Baker, Richards, & Campbell, 2005) and four studies used Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness (CAMI) (Taylor, Dear, & Hall, 1979; Taylor & Dear, 1981). The following measures were in at least one study: The Level of Contact Report (Holmes, Corrigan, Williams, & Canar, 1999), the Opinion about Mental Illness (Madianos, Madianou, Vlachonikolis, & Stefanis, 1987), the Authoritarianism Scale (Adorno, 1950), Social Distance (Arkar, 1991), Burden of Illness (Eker & Arkar, 1991), Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Health Profession version (Hojat, Gonnella, Nasca, Mangione, & et al, 2002), Attitudes of Mental Illness Questionnaire (Luty, Fekadu, Umoh, & Gallagher, 2006), Social Interaction Scale (Kelly, St Lawrence, Smith, & Hood, 1987), Social Acceptance Scale (Angermeyer & Matschinger, 1997), and Standardized Stigma Questionnaire (Haghighat, 2005). Kukulu and Ergun, (2007) utilized an adaptation of multiple instruments, but the researchers were unable to assess its validity because the instruments’ descriptions and psychometric testing were only being available in studies published in the Turkish language.…”

Factors influencing social distance from people with schizophrenia

“…They prefer social distance from people with schizophrenia. In Turkish studies, it is reported that the public have negative attitudes towards patients with schizophrenia and that they dominantly show a tendency to reject them, and also that they hesitate to become socially close to these patients (18,21–23). In Taskin's study (Taskin et al 2003), the public in rural areas sufficiently recognise schizophrenia but have a tendency to stigmatise schizophrenia patients.…”

Conceptualization Of Negative Attitudestowards People with Schizophrenia in Turkey

“…The first theme was the health care providers' negative attitudes toward individuals with schizophrenia (AYDIN et al 2003;EKER & ARKAR 1991;KUKULU & ERGUN 2007;OZYIGIT et al 2004;SAVAS et al 2002;UCOK et al 2004). Three subthemes were identified under this category.…”