Influence of contact with schizophrenia on implicit attitudes towards schizophrenia patients held by clinical residents

Abstract

BackgroundPatients with schizophrenia and their families have suffered greatly from stigmatizing effects. Although many efforts have been made to eradicate both prejudice and stigma, they still prevail even among medical professionals, and little is known about how contact with schizophrenia patients affects their attitudes towards schizophrenia.MethodsWe assessed the impact of the renaming of the Japanese term for schizophrenia on clinical residents and also evaluated the influence of contact with schizophrenia patients on attitudes toward schizophrenia by comparing the attitudes toward schizophrenia before and after a one-month clinical training period in psychiatry. Fifty-one clinical residents participated. Their attitudes toward schizophrenia were assessed twice, before and one month after clinical training in psychiatry using the Implicit Association Test (IAT) as well as Link’s devaluation-discrimination scale.ResultsThe old term for schizophrenia, “Seishin-Bunretsu-Byo”, was more congruent with criminal than the new term for schizophrenia, “Togo-Shitcho-Sho”, before clinical training. However, quite opposite to our expectation, after clinical training the new term had become even more congruent with criminal than the old term. There was no significant correlation between Link's scale and IAT effect.ConclusionsRenaming the Japanese term for schizophrenia still reduced the negative images of schizophrenia among clinical residents. However, contact with schizophrenia patients unexpectedly changed clinical residents’ attitudes towards schizophrenia negatively. Our results might contribute to an understanding of the formation of negative attitudes about schizophrenia and assist in developing appropriate clinical training in psychiatry that could reduce prejudice and stigma concerning schizophrenia.

Should the label "schizophrenia" be abandoned?

“…The new term had a weaker association with the term 'criminal', suggesting that it may help reduce stigma. The renaming also reduced negative images of the condition among clinical residents in postgraduate medical education (Omori et al, 2012). Notably, though, this same study also found adverse consequences, in that that the new term was associated with a 'criminal' connotation for the residents.…”

“…Notably, though, this same study also found adverse consequences, in that that the new term was associated with a 'criminal' connotation for the residents. Since these residents had received an educational program emphasizing biogenetic explanations of schizophrenia, it was hypothesized that the implication that mental disorders are due to factors outside the control of the individual may have reinforced the idea of unpredictability and dangerousness (Omori et al, 2012).…”

Ganho de Conhecimento no Internato Médico em Psiquiatria Não Reduz Estigmatização dos Transtornos Mentais

“…No entanto, houve uma insuficiência do programa em reduzir o nível de estigmatização em relação aos pacientes portadores de transtorno psicótico. Os autores acreditam que o tempo de exposição dos estudantes ao contato com os pacientes portadores de transtorno mental nesse programa possa ter sido insuficiente, o que também foi apontado como potencial causa de insucesso na melhora do estigma em estudos prévios [12][13][14] .…”

Finding what is hidden: a method to measure implicit attitudes for nursing and health‐related behaviours

“…Omori et al (2012) 51 Neither perceived racial discrimination nor implicit racial bias was directly associated with hypertension, the main outcome variable.…”

“…However, implicit anti-Black bias moderated associations between perceived racial discrimination and hypertension. Omori et al (2012) 51…”