Changes in Attitudes Toward People with Mental Illness Among Healthcare Students:

A Comparison Based on Exposure to Recovery Narratives

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine how healthcare students’ attitudes toward people with mental illness change before and after lectures on mental illness, and according to whether they participated in sessions involving recovery narratives and discussions with people with mental illness.

Methods: An anonymous web-based survey was conducted among 118 second-year healthcare students at a medical university. The survey was administered before and after a two-month of psychiatry lecture course. During this period, sessions involving recovery narratives and discussions with people with mental illness were organized, and students were invited to participate voluntarily. The survey assessed interest in mental illness, knowledge about mental illness, stigma, social distance, and recovery orientation.

Results: Valid responses were obtained from 60 students in the first survey and 54 students in the second survey. Twenty-four students participated in the session. In the second survey, stigma toward people with mental illness tended to increase overall compared with the first survey. In contrast, among participants, interest in mental illness increased and social distance scores significantly decreased （p<0.05）.

Discussion: The findings suggest that stigma toward people with mental illness may increase during the process of learning about mental illness through lectures, whereas participation in sessions involving recovery narratives and discussion may reduce negative attitudes, particularly in terms of social distance, among healthcare students.