Department of Psychology, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, CT 06117, USA.
Psychiatr Serv. 2012 Jul;63(7):649-54. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201100358.
Despite the many studies of public attitudes toward mental illnesses, relatively few have examined the views of the youngest generation of citizens. This study was intended to increase understanding of youths' views of mental illness by developing and administering measures of knowledge and attitudes of middle school students toward mental illnesses.
Self-report questionnaires concerning knowledge, attitudes, and social distance related to mental illness were developed and pilot-tested to create an assessment tool appropriate for a juvenile sample. The measures were administered to 193 students at four middle schools in different parts of the United States between November 2008 and April 2009.
The students' knowledge about mental illness was inconsistent, but important gaps were evident, particularly with respect to the symptoms of specific disorders. Attitudes toward individuals with a mental illness were generally positive, but substantial numbers of students had less favorable attitudes. Social distance scores revealed considerable reluctance to interact closely with a person with mental illness. Most (65%) students were uncertain whether mental illnesses have a biological cause, and 37% believed that medication to treat mental illness is useful.
Attitudes toward individuals with mental illnesses may be more favorable among students than among adults. Nevertheless, stigma may persist as a problem for the next generation of citizens, and youths with a mental illness remain likely to experience misunderstanding and exclusion by peers. There is a need to educate children about specific disorders and about acceptance of individuals with mental illness.
尽管有许多研究关注公众对精神疾病的态度，但很少有研究调查最年轻一代公民的观点。本研究旨在通过开发和管理中学生对精神疾病的知识和态度的测量工具，增进对青少年观点的理解。
制定并试用了关于精神疾病相关知识、态度和社会距离的自我报告问卷，以创建适合青少年样本的评估工具。该测量工具于 2008 年 11 月至 2009 年 4 月期间在美国四个不同地区的四所中学向 193 名学生施测。
学生对精神疾病的了解并不一致，但存在明显的知识缺口，特别是在特定障碍的症状方面。对患有精神疾病的个体的态度普遍较为积极，但仍有相当数量的学生持不太有利的态度。社会距离评分显示，与患有精神疾病的人密切互动的意愿较低。大多数（65%）学生不确定精神疾病是否有生物学原因，37%的学生认为治疗精神疾病的药物是有用的。
与成年人相比，学生对精神疾病患者的态度可能更为积极。然而，污名可能仍然是下一代公民的一个问题，患有精神疾病的青少年仍然可能面临来自同伴的误解和排斥。需要对儿童进行特定障碍和对精神疾病患者的接受方面的教育。
