Exploring the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavioural Responses of Healthcare Students towards Mental Illnesses—A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: The stigma of mental illness causes delays in seeking help, and often compromises victims’ therapeutic relationships with healthcare providers. The knowledge, attitudes, and behavioural responses of future healthcare professionals toward individuals with mental illnesses are explored here to suggest steps that will reduce mental illness stigma in healthcare providers. Methods: A generic qualitative approach—Qualitative Description—was used. Eighteen students from nine healthcare programs at a Canadian University participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Participants answered questions regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and behavioural responses towards individuals with mental illnesses. Thematic content analysis guided the data analysis. Results: Four main themes were constructed from the data: positive and negative general perceptions toward mental illness; contact experiences with mental illnesses; mental illness in a healthcare setting; and learning about mental illness in healthcare academia. Conclusions: Students showed well-rounded mental health knowledge and mostly positive behaviours toward individuals with mental illnesses. However, some students hold stigmatizing attitudes and do not feel prepared through their academic experiences to work with individuals with mental illnesses. Mental health education can reduce the stigma toward mental illness and improve the care delivered by healthcare professionals.

Stigma, Health and Well-Being

“…Additionally, nursing students who were in a higher year of study (especially third year or above) had lower levels of public stigma than those who were in a lower year of study. Riffel and Chen [ 16 ] also studied the students’ attitudes toward mental illness. However, Riffel and Chen [ 16 ] investigated more than nursing students and they only used a qualitative design to understand students’ attitudes.…”

“…Riffel and Chen [ 16 ] also studied the students’ attitudes toward mental illness. However, Riffel and Chen [ 16 ] investigated more than nursing students and they only used a qualitative design to understand students’ attitudes. Through semi-structured interview and a qualitative description method, 18 students from nine health programs in a Canadian University revealed their attitudes toward mental illness.…”

An Anti-Stigma Course for Occupational Therapy Students in Taiwan: Development and Pilot Testing

“…Students entering the healthcare profession may share public stigma rooted in our sociocultural system [ 6 ]. However, medical education has been found to both reduce and aggravate stigma [ 7 ].…”

Influence of mental health perception and willingness-to-pay towards intention-to-support inclusion of mental health coverage in health insurance schemes: a cross sectional study in Malaysia

“…Inversely, those with negative perception or low knowledge on mental health are more likely to avoid any forum or discourse on mental health coverage which inadvertent would become a barrier to their sup-port of mental health coverage inclusion in health insurance schemes in Malaysia. 30 In Malaysia, private healthcare is considered a more sensible option for mental health care due to confidentiality and privacy concerns. However, without insurance, patients may choose to lessen treatment or even opt out of it due to tremendous cost.…”