College of Nursing, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.
Faculty of Health Science, Kristianstad University, 291 88, Kristianstad, Sweden.
BMC Psychol. 2022 Apr 29;10(1):109. doi: 10.1186/s40359-022-00820-w.
The current study aimed to assess and compare the level of knowledge and attitude towards mental illness between secondary school students and their teachers in Oman.
An online survey was carried out to collect data from 400 students and 411 teachers about their knowledge and attitudes toward people with mental illness. Two independent case studies about depression and schizophrenia were also tested.
Students have a poor knowledge of mental illness compared with their teachers, as more than half scored less than 60% compared with 16.5% of the teachers. More than two-thirds of the students (80%) and teachers (76.4%) have a low or minor positive attitude toward people with mental illness. The study identified significant differences in knowledge in favour of teachers, although the opposite was found regarding attitudes.
Since students spend a significant amount of time in school, bridging the gap between teachers' and students' knowledge and attitudes toward mental illness is an essential part in enhancing the knowledge and attitudes of the students. In addition, knowledgeable teachers with positive attitude can assist in early identification of mental illnesses and help students when needed. In turn, students who possess knowledge and positive attitude toward mental illness can share their concerns with their teachers. In the presence of such accepting and cooperative environment, the stigma can be decreased and early detection of mental illness and help-seeking behaviour can be promoted.
本研究旨在评估和比较阿曼中学生和教师对精神疾病的知识水平和态度。
通过在线调查，从 400 名学生和 411 名教师那里收集了有关他们对精神疾病患者的知识和态度的数据。还测试了两个关于抑郁症和精神分裂症的独立案例研究。
与教师相比，学生对精神疾病的了解较差，超过一半的学生得分低于 60%，而教师的比例为 16.5%。超过三分之二的学生（80%）和教师（76.4%）对精神疾病患者的态度持低或轻微的积极态度。研究发现，教师的知识存在显著差异，但在态度方面则相反。
由于学生在学校花费了大量时间，因此缩小教师和学生对精神疾病的知识和态度之间的差距是提高学生知识和态度的重要组成部分。此外，有知识且态度积极的教师可以帮助及早识别精神疾病，并在需要时为学生提供帮助。反过来，拥有精神疾病知识和积极态度的学生可以与教师分享他们的担忧。在这种包容和合作的环境中，可以减少污名化，并促进精神疾病的早期发现和寻求帮助的行为。
