How Movies Shape Students' Attitudes Toward Individuals with Schizophrenia: An Exploration of the Relationships between Entertainment Experience and Stigmatization.

Mass media shape not only public, but also healthcare professionals' attitudes towards individuals with a mental illness. This study investigates how watching a movie about schizophrenia affects stigma-related attitudes of rehabilitation science students, who are likely to work with affected individuals. Participants watched an entertainment movie portrayal of schizophrenia. Stigma-related attitudes and social distance were assessed one week before watching the movie, directly afterwards, and one week later. No significant differences in stigmatization emerged between viewers and non-viewers. Enjoyment, appreciation, and general movie evaluation mediated viewers' transportation into the story on changes in stigmatization. Results are discussed with respect to media effects on stigma-related attitudes and their implications for mental health nursing practice and education.