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Open Access 01-07-2015 | Brief Communication

Evaluating Explicit and Implicit Stigma of Mental Illness in Mental Health Professionals and Medical Students

Authors: Maciej Kopera, Hubert Suszek, Erin Bonar, Maciej Myszka, Bartłomiej Gmaj, Mark Ilgen, Marcin Wojnar

Published in: Community Mental Health Journal | Issue 5/2015

Abstract

The study investigated explicit and implicit attitudes towards people with mental illness among medical students (non-professionals) with no previous contact with mentally ill patients and psychiatrists and psychotherapists (professionals) who had at least 2 years of professional contact with mentally ill patients. Explicit attitudes where assessed by self-report. Implicit attitudes were measured with the Go/No-Go Association Task, a variant of the Implicit Association Test that does not require the use of a comparison category. Compared to non-professionals, mental health professionals reported significantly higher approach emotions than non-professionals towards people with mental illness, showed a lesser tendency to discriminate against them, and held less restrictive attitudes. Both groups reported negative implicit attitudes towards mentally ill. Results suggest that both non-professionals and professionals display ambivalent attitudes towards people with mental illness and that professional, long-term contact with people with mental illness does not necessarily modify negative implicit attitudes.

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Title: Evaluating Explicit and Implicit Stigma of Mental Illness in Mental Health Professionals and Medical Students
Authors: Maciej Kopera
Hubert Suszek
Erin Bonar
Maciej Myszka
Bartłomiej Gmaj
Mark Ilgen
Marcin Wojnar
Publication date: 01-07-2015
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Community Mental Health Journal / Issue 5/2015
Print ISSN: 0010-3853
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2789
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-014-9796-6

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Evaluating Explicit and Implicit Stigma of Mental Illness in Mental Health Professionals and Medical Students

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