Abdullah Maryum, Sethi Mifrah Rauf, Irfan Muhammad
Undergraduate Student, Peshawar Dental College, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Department of Mental Health, Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Peshawar Medical College, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2021 Jan-Mar;33(1):120-124.
Stigma towards mental illness is among the main reasons of higher mental health burden in Pakistan, especially in women. Therefore, this study was planned to explore gender differences regarding stigma towards mental illness among medical students of Peshawar.
A Cross-sectional study was conducted among the students of medical and dental institutions of Peshawar from December 2018 to March 2019. Students were asked to respond to the Community Attitude towards Mental Illness (CAMI) scale consisting of 40 questions with four subscales that assess different attitudes towards mental illness. We also asked two additional questions regarding health-seeking behaviour of the general public.
The mean age of the sample (n=1003) was 20.75±1.66 years and majority of the respondents were females (n=581, 57.9%). Female, as compared to male students, exhibited positive attitude on overall CAMI scale and its subscales of benevolence and community mental health ideology; while male students showed positive attitude on authoritarian and social restrictiveness subscales, as compared to female students (p<0.05). Both female and male students recognized lack of awareness (combined 34.5%), and stigma attached to mental illness (combined 24.3%) as the main barriers to health seeking behaviour of general public; and suggested that the people struggling with mental health issues should first approach their parents (combined 37.9%) and a psychiatrist/ psychologist (combined 35.0%).
Significantly more female medical students showed less stigma towards mental illnesses. Lack of awareness and stigma associated to mental illnesses are considered as the main barriers to help seeking behaviour of general public.
对精神疾病的污名化是巴基斯坦心理健康负担较重的主要原因之一，尤其是在女性中。因此，本研究旨在探讨白沙瓦医科学生对精神疾病污名化的性别差异。
2018年12月至2019年3月，在白沙瓦的医学和牙科学院学生中进行了一项横断面研究。要求学生对由40个问题组成的社区对精神疾病的态度（CAMI）量表做出回应，该量表有四个子量表，用于评估对精神疾病的不同态度。我们还询问了另外两个关于公众寻求医疗行为的问题。
样本（n = 1003）的平均年龄为20.75±1.66岁，大多数受访者为女性（n = 581，57.9%）。与男学生相比，女学生在CAMI总量表及其仁慈和社区心理健康观念子量表上表现出积极态度；而男学生在专制和社会限制性子量表上比女学生表现出更积极的态度（p<0.05）。男女生均认为缺乏认识（合计34.5%）和对精神疾病的污名化（合计24.3%）是公众寻求医疗行为的主要障碍；并建议有心理健康问题的人应首先求助于父母（合计37.9%）和精神科医生/心理学家（合计35.0%）。
明显更多的女医科学生对精神疾病的污名化程度较低。缺乏认识和与精神疾病相关的污名被认为是公众寻求帮助行为的主要障碍。
