Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Int J Pharm Pract. 2020 Aug;28(4):346-354. doi: 10.1111/ijpp.12601. Epub 2020 Feb 4.
Globally, persons with mental illness are victims of stigma, even among healthcare professionals and trainees. However, in Nigeria, little is known about the attitudes of pharmacy students towards people with mental illness. Therefore, the objectives of this paper were to assess and compare the attitudes of pharmacy and non-pharmacy students towards mental illness and explore its associated demographic factors.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among pharmacy and selected non-pharmacy students of a Nigerian university. The Attitude Scale for Mental Illness was used for data collection. The survey instrument was distributed to and completed by selected students in batches after normal class lectures. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and Student's t-test were used for data analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
The key findings showed that pharmacy and non-pharmacy students generally demonstrated positive attitudes towards mental illness. Pharmacy students had more positive, less stigmatizing attitudes compared with students of non-pharmacy courses. Students' attitudes towards mental illness were significantly influenced by gender, age, a previous visit to a mental hospital and knowing a family member or friend with a mental illness.
Our findings suggest that students' attitudes towards mental illness were positive but sub-optimal. Student pharmacists demonstrated more positive attitudes towards mental illness compared with non-pharmacy students. However, the major contributors to positive attitudes were male gender, older age, a previous visit to a mental hospital and having a close associate with a mental illness. Therefore, educational interventions addressing students' misconceptions of mental illness are recommended.
在全球范围内，精神疾病患者是污名化的受害者，即使是在医疗保健专业人员和受训者中也是如此。然而，在尼日利亚，人们对药学学生对精神疾病患者的态度知之甚少。因此，本文的目的是评估和比较药学和非药学学生对精神疾病的态度，并探讨其相关的人口统计学因素。
对尼日利亚一所大学的药学和部分非药学学生进行了横断面调查。采用精神疾病态度量表进行数据收集。在正常课堂讲座后，将调查工具分批分发给选定的学生填写。采用描述性统计、卡方检验和学生 t 检验进行数据分析。P<0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。
主要发现表明，药学和非药学学生普遍对精神疾病持积极态度。与非药学课程的学生相比，药学学生的态度更积极，污名化程度更低。学生对精神疾病的态度受到性别、年龄、以前是否去过精神病院以及是否认识有精神疾病的家庭成员或朋友的显著影响。
我们的研究结果表明，学生对精神疾病的态度是积极的，但还不够理想。与非药学专业的学生相比，药学专业的学生对精神疾病的态度更为积极。然而，积极态度的主要贡献者是男性、年龄较大、以前去过精神病院以及与患有精神疾病的密切伙伴。因此，建议开展教育干预措施，纠正学生对精神疾病的误解。
