Journal List > Korean J Schizophr Res > v.17(2) > 1122199

Park, Kim, Lee, Na, Lee, Park, Bae, Kim, Shin, and Yoon: Attitude Toward Psychiatric Medication among College Students Majoring in Nursing Science and Social Welfare

Abstract

Objectives

Nurses and social workers are key persons connecting patients with psychotic disorders to psychiatric treatment. This study investigated the attitude of college students majoring in nursing science and social welfare toward psychiatric medication and stigma toward the mentally ill.

Methods

The study enrolled 553 college students (369 nursing science, 184 social welfare). We administered a five-item questionnaire to assess attitude toward psychiatric medication and a 20-item scale to assess stigma (prejudice regarding the dangerousness of the mentally ill and discrimination against the mentally ill). Factors associated with attitude toward psychiatric medication were identified. In addition, the stigma scale scores were compared with each item on attitude toward psychiatric medication.

Results

: In the multivariate analysis, students majoring in social welfare had a significantly poorer attitude toward psychiatric medication than those majoring in nursing science. Age, senior grade, and experience to contact the mentally ill were also significantly associated with a good attitude toward medication, while attending psychiatry lectures, having a religion, and gender were not significantly associated with attitude toward psychiatric medication, although they showed relationships in the univariate analyses. For three of the five items, a negative attitude toward psychiatric medication was significantly associated with higher scores on the prejudice and discrimination scales.

Conclusion

: Prejudice toward and discrimination against the mentally ill are closely associated with a negative attitude toward psychiatric medication. An anti-stigma campaign should be developed that includes education to promote knowledge about psychiatric medications and reduce the stigma against the mentally ill. In addition, our findings suggest that experience to contact the mentally ill might improve attitudes toward psychiatric medication.

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Table 1.
General attitude toward psychiatric medication according to sociodemographic characteristics
    N (%) Attitude toward psychiatric medication χ2 or F p-value
Good Intermediate Poor
Total   553 136 (24.6) 189 (34.2) 228 (41.2)    
Major Social worker 184 (33.3) 22 (12.0) 49 (26.6) 113 (61.4) 49.745 <0.001
Nurse 369 (66.7) 114 (30.9) 140 (37.9) 115 (31.2)    
Gender Male 50 (9.0) 6 (12.0) 22 (44.0) 22 (44.0) 5.199 0.074
Female 503 (91.0) 130 (25.8) 167 (33.2) 206 (41.0)    
Psychiatric lecture Yes 237 (43.0) 73 (30.8) 82 (34.6) 82 (34.6) 11.387 0.003
No 314 (57.0) 62 (19.7) 106 (33.8) 146 (46.5)    
School Year 1 172 (32.0) 29 (16.9) 63 (36.6) 80 (46.5) 16.080 0.003
2 178 (33.1) 38 (21.3) 60 (33.7) 80 (44.9)    
≥3 187 (34.8) 64 (34.2) 55 (29.4) 68 (36.4)    
Experience to contact the mentally ill Yes 312 (56.8) 95 (30.4) 116 (37.2) 101 (32.4) 25.040 <0.001
No 237 (43.2) 41 (17.3) 71 (30.0) 125 (52.7)    
Family history Yes 59 (10.7) 16 (27.1) 20 (33.9) 23 (39.0) 0.254 0.881
No 491 (89.3) 119 (24.2) 169 (34.4) 203 (41.3)    
Religion Yes 269 (48.3) 67 (24.9) 103 (38.3) 99 (36.8) 5.705 0.058
No 279 (51.7) 66 (23.7) 84 (30.1) 129 (46.2)    
Age Mean (SD)   23.2 (6.8) 25.9 (14.9) 20.9 (4.2) 13.342 <0.001
Table 2.
Logistic regression analysis for negative attitude toward psychiatric medication
Variables B S.E. p-value Exp (B)(95% CI)
Social welfare 1.415 0.223 <0.001 4.1 (2.7–6.4)
Senior grade –0.736 0.230 0.001 0.5 (0.3–0.8)
Experience to contact the mentally ill –0.454 0.203 0.025 0.6 (0.4–0.9)
Having religion –0.277 0.191 0.147 0.8 (0.5–1.1)
Psychiatric lecture –0.230 0.197 0.244 0.8 (0.5–1.2)
Gender, men –0.240 0.320 0.455 0.8 (0.4–1.5)
Table 3.
Comparison of the stigma scale scores according to the each item for attitude toward psychiatric medication
Attitude toward psychiatric medication N (%) Prejudice regarding the danger p-value Discrimination p-value
Unnatural, No 311 (55.5) 3.1 (2.7–3.7) 0.703 2.7 (2.2–3.1) 0.308
Yes or no opinion 249 (44.5) 3.1 (2.7–3.6)   2.8 (2.3–3.2)  
Addictive, No 145 (26.0) 3.0 (2.4–3.3) <0.001 2.6 (2.1–2.9) 0.001
Yes or no opinion 413 (74.0) 3.3 (2.7–3.7)   2.8 (2.3–3.2)  
Stop Med., No 309 (55.3) 3.1 (2.6–3.6) 0.001 2.7 (2.2–3.1) 0.014
Yes or no opinion 250 (44.7) 3.3 (2.9–3.7)   2.8 (2.3–3.2)  
Brain damage, No 184 (32.9) 3.0 (2.6–3.6) 0.001 2.6 (2.2–3.1) 0.031
Yes or no opinion 375 (67.1) 3.3 (2.7–3.7)   2.8 (2.3–3.2)  
Delay Med., No 219 (39.3) 3.1 (2.6–3.6) 0.375 2.8 (2.2–3.1) 0.977
Yes or no opinion 338 (60.7) 3.1 (2.7–3.6)   2.8 (2.3–3.2)  

Values are expressed as mean (standard deviation), ranging from 1 (fully disagree) to 5 (fully agree). Unnatural, It is not natural to treat mental or emotional problems with medication. Addictive, Psychiatric medications for depression, delusions, and hallucina tions are addictive. Stop Med., Psychiatric mediations should be stopped immediately when symptoms improve. Brain damage Psychiatric medication insults the brain. Delay Med., When a delusion or hallucination develops, psychiatric medication should be delayed until all efforts to overcome them with mental strength have failed

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