Mental health professionals' attitudes towards mental illness: professional and cultural factors in the INTER NOS study

Francisco Del Olmo-Romero; Maria Gonzalez-Blanco; Salvador Sarro; Jaime Gracio; Manuel Martin-Carrasco; Ana C. Martinez-Cabezon; Giampaolo Perna; Edith Pomarol-Clotet; Pedro Varandas; Javier Ballesteros-Rodriguez; Carlos Rebolleda-Gil; Giovanna Vanni; Eduardo Gonzalez-Fraile; Ana Moreno-Alcazar; Isabel Feria; Pedro P. Padilla; Jose A. Larraz; Josep Treserra; Ana C. Perez; Pedro Roy; Ana Morais; Carla Costa; Cecilia Vilas-Boas; Mariana Correia; Nuno Nunes; Rosa Simoes; Paula Carneiro; Adolfo Lander; Javier Remirez; Javier Arellano; Carlos Pajares; Antonio Rodriguez; Raul Huerta; Maria Janez; David Porta; Alessandro Valchera; Paolo Carbonetti; INTER NOS group

doi:10.1007/s00406-018-0867-5

Mental health professionals' attitudes towards mental illness: professional and cultural factors in the INTER NOS study

Francisco Del Olmo-Romero, Maria Gonzalez-Blanco, Salvador Sarro, Jaime Gracio, Manuel Martin-Carrasco, Ana C. Martinez-Cabezon, Giampaolo Perna, Edith Pomarol-Clotet, Pedro Varandas, Javier Ballesteros-Rodriguez, Carlos Rebolleda-Gil, Giovanna Vanni, Eduardo Gonzalez-Fraile^*, Ana Moreno-Alcazar, Isabel Feria, Pedro P. Padilla, Jose A. Larraz, Josep Treserra, Ana C. Perez, Pedro RoyAna Morais, Carla Costa, Cecilia Vilas-Boas, Mariana Correia, Nuno Nunes, Rosa Simoes, Paula Carneiro, Adolfo Lander, Javier Remirez, Javier Arellano, Carlos Pajares, Antonio Rodriguez, Raul Huerta, Maria Janez, David Porta, Alessandro Valchera, Paolo Carbonetti, INTER NOS group

^*Corresponding author for this work

MHeNs - Mental Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Background Research shows that personnel working in mental health facilities may share some of the societal prejudices towards mental illness. This might result in stigmatizing behaviours towards people suffering from mental disorders, undermining the quality of their care.

Aims To describe and compare attitudes towards mental illness across a sample of professionals working in a wide range of mental health facilities in Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Method We administered a survey to personnel including two questionnaires related to stigmatizing attitudes: The Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) and the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27). Data were compared according to professional category, work setting and country.

Results 34.06% (1525) professionals of the surveyed population responded adequately. Psychologists and social therapists had the most positive attitudes, and nursing assistants the most negative, on most factors of CAMI and AQ-27. Community staff had more positive attitudes than hospital-based professionals in most factors on CAMI and in discriminatory responses on AQ-27.

Conclusions Globally, mental health professionals showed a positive attitude towards mental illness, but also a relative support to coercive treatments. There are differences in attitudes modulated by professional category and setting. Results can guide preventive strategies, particularly for the hospital-based and nursing staff.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	325-339
Number of pages	15
Journal	European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Volume	269
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-018-0867-5
Publication status	Published - Apr 2019

Keywords

Mental illness
Stigma
Mental health professionals
Social distance
Health personnel attitude
COMMUNITY ATTITUDES
GENERAL-POPULATION
STIGMA
PEOPLE
SCHIZOPHRENIA
PSYCHIATRISTS
BELIEFS
DISCRIMINATION
CARE
ILL

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10.1007/s00406-018-0867-5

Cite this

Del Olmo-Romero, F., Gonzalez-Blanco, M., Sarro, S., Gracio, J., Martin-Carrasco, M., Martinez-Cabezon, A. C., Perna, G., Pomarol-Clotet, E., Varandas, P., Ballesteros-Rodriguez, J., Rebolleda-Gil, C., Vanni, G., Gonzalez-Fraile, E., Moreno-Alcazar, A., Feria, I., Padilla, P. P., Larraz, J. A., Treserra, J., Perez, A. C., ... INTER NOS group (2019). Mental health professionals' attitudes towards mental illness: professional and cultural factors in the INTER NOS study. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 269(3), 325-339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-018-0867-5

@article{f32f44bf211d43009372df870141f669,

title = "Mental health professionals' attitudes towards mental illness: professional and cultural factors in the INTER NOS study",

abstract = "Background Research shows that personnel working in mental health facilities may share some of the societal prejudices towards mental illness. This might result in stigmatizing behaviours towards people suffering from mental disorders, undermining the quality of their care.Aims To describe and compare attitudes towards mental illness across a sample of professionals working in a wide range of mental health facilities in Spain, Portugal and Italy.Method We administered a survey to personnel including two questionnaires related to stigmatizing attitudes: The Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) and the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27). Data were compared according to professional category, work setting and country.Results 34.06% (1525) professionals of the surveyed population responded adequately. Psychologists and social therapists had the most positive attitudes, and nursing assistants the most negative, on most factors of CAMI and AQ-27. Community staff had more positive attitudes than hospital-based professionals in most factors on CAMI and in discriminatory responses on AQ-27.Conclusions Globally, mental health professionals showed a positive attitude towards mental illness, but also a relative support to coercive treatments. There are differences in attitudes modulated by professional category and setting. Results can guide preventive strategies, particularly for the hospital-based and nursing staff.",

keywords = "Mental illness, Stigma, Mental health professionals, Social distance, Health personnel attitude, COMMUNITY ATTITUDES, GENERAL-POPULATION, STIGMA, PEOPLE, SCHIZOPHRENIA, PSYCHIATRISTS, BELIEFS, DISCRIMINATION, CARE, ILL",

author = "{Del Olmo-Romero}, Francisco and Maria Gonzalez-Blanco and Salvador Sarro and Jaime Gracio and Manuel Martin-Carrasco and Martinez-Cabezon, {Ana C.} and Giampaolo Perna and Edith Pomarol-Clotet and Pedro Varandas and Javier Ballesteros-Rodriguez and Carlos Rebolleda-Gil and Giovanna Vanni and Eduardo Gonzalez-Fraile and Ana Moreno-Alcazar and Isabel Feria and Padilla, {Pedro P.} and Larraz, {Jose A.} and Josep Treserra and Perez, {Ana C.} and Pedro Roy and Ana Morais and Carla Costa and Cecilia Vilas-Boas and Mariana Correia and Nuno Nunes and Rosa Simoes and Paula Carneiro and Adolfo Lander and Javier Remirez and Javier Arellano and Carlos Pajares and Antonio Rodriguez and Raul Huerta and Maria Janez and David Porta and Alessandro Valchera and Paolo Carbonetti and {INTER NOS group}",

note = "Funding Information: Funding Funding for the study was provided by Sisters Hospitallers with resources of their own. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.",

year = "2019",

month = apr,

doi = "10.1007/s00406-018-0867-5",

language = "English",

volume = "269",

pages = "325--339",

journal = "European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience",

issn = "0940-1334",

publisher = "Springer",

number = "3",

}

Del Olmo-Romero, F, Gonzalez-Blanco, M, Sarro, S, Gracio, J, Martin-Carrasco, M, Martinez-Cabezon, AC, Perna, G, Pomarol-Clotet, E, Varandas, P, Ballesteros-Rodriguez, J, Rebolleda-Gil, C, Vanni, G, Gonzalez-Fraile, E, Moreno-Alcazar, A, Feria, I, Padilla, PP, Larraz, JA, Treserra, J, Perez, AC, Roy, P, Morais, A, Costa, C, Vilas-Boas, C, Correia, M, Nunes, N, Simoes, R, Carneiro, P, Lander, A, Remirez, J, Arellano, J, Pajares, C, Rodriguez, A, Huerta, R, Janez, M, Porta, D, Valchera, A, Carbonetti, P & INTER NOS group 2019, 'Mental health professionals' attitudes towards mental illness: professional and cultural factors in the INTER NOS study', European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, vol. 269, no. 3, pp. 325-339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-018-0867-5

Mental health professionals' attitudes towards mental illness: professional and cultural factors in the INTER NOS study. / Del Olmo-Romero, Francisco; Gonzalez-Blanco, Maria; Sarro, Salvador et al.
In: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, Vol. 269, No. 3, 04.2019, p. 325-339.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Mental health professionals' attitudes towards mental illness

T2 - professional and cultural factors in the INTER NOS study

AU - Del Olmo-Romero, Francisco

AU - Gonzalez-Blanco, Maria

AU - Sarro, Salvador

AU - Gracio, Jaime

AU - Martin-Carrasco, Manuel

AU - Martinez-Cabezon, Ana C.

AU - Perna, Giampaolo

AU - Pomarol-Clotet, Edith

AU - Varandas, Pedro

AU - Ballesteros-Rodriguez, Javier

AU - Rebolleda-Gil, Carlos

AU - Vanni, Giovanna

AU - Gonzalez-Fraile, Eduardo

AU - Moreno-Alcazar, Ana

AU - Feria, Isabel

AU - Padilla, Pedro P.

AU - Larraz, Jose A.

AU - Treserra, Josep

AU - Perez, Ana C.

AU - Roy, Pedro

AU - Morais, Ana

AU - Costa, Carla

AU - Vilas-Boas, Cecilia

AU - Correia, Mariana

AU - Nunes, Nuno

AU - Simoes, Rosa

AU - Carneiro, Paula

AU - Lander, Adolfo

AU - Remirez, Javier

AU - Arellano, Javier

AU - Pajares, Carlos

AU - Rodriguez, Antonio

AU - Huerta, Raul

AU - Janez, Maria

AU - Porta, David

AU - Valchera, Alessandro

AU - Carbonetti, Paolo

AU - INTER NOS group

N1 - Funding Information: Funding Funding for the study was provided by Sisters Hospitallers with resources of their own. Publisher Copyright: © 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

PY - 2019/4

Y1 - 2019/4

N2 - Background Research shows that personnel working in mental health facilities may share some of the societal prejudices towards mental illness. This might result in stigmatizing behaviours towards people suffering from mental disorders, undermining the quality of their care.Aims To describe and compare attitudes towards mental illness across a sample of professionals working in a wide range of mental health facilities in Spain, Portugal and Italy.Method We administered a survey to personnel including two questionnaires related to stigmatizing attitudes: The Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) and the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27). Data were compared according to professional category, work setting and country.Results 34.06% (1525) professionals of the surveyed population responded adequately. Psychologists and social therapists had the most positive attitudes, and nursing assistants the most negative, on most factors of CAMI and AQ-27. Community staff had more positive attitudes than hospital-based professionals in most factors on CAMI and in discriminatory responses on AQ-27.Conclusions Globally, mental health professionals showed a positive attitude towards mental illness, but also a relative support to coercive treatments. There are differences in attitudes modulated by professional category and setting. Results can guide preventive strategies, particularly for the hospital-based and nursing staff.

AB - Background Research shows that personnel working in mental health facilities may share some of the societal prejudices towards mental illness. This might result in stigmatizing behaviours towards people suffering from mental disorders, undermining the quality of their care.Aims To describe and compare attitudes towards mental illness across a sample of professionals working in a wide range of mental health facilities in Spain, Portugal and Italy.Method We administered a survey to personnel including two questionnaires related to stigmatizing attitudes: The Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) and the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27). Data were compared according to professional category, work setting and country.Results 34.06% (1525) professionals of the surveyed population responded adequately. Psychologists and social therapists had the most positive attitudes, and nursing assistants the most negative, on most factors of CAMI and AQ-27. Community staff had more positive attitudes than hospital-based professionals in most factors on CAMI and in discriminatory responses on AQ-27.Conclusions Globally, mental health professionals showed a positive attitude towards mental illness, but also a relative support to coercive treatments. There are differences in attitudes modulated by professional category and setting. Results can guide preventive strategies, particularly for the hospital-based and nursing staff.

KW - Mental illness

KW - Stigma

KW - Mental health professionals

KW - Social distance

KW - Health personnel attitude

KW - COMMUNITY ATTITUDES

KW - GENERAL-POPULATION

KW - STIGMA

KW - PEOPLE

KW - SCHIZOPHRENIA

KW - PSYCHIATRISTS

KW - BELIEFS

KW - DISCRIMINATION

KW - CARE

KW - ILL

U2 - 10.1007/s00406-018-0867-5

DO - 10.1007/s00406-018-0867-5

M3 - Article

C2 - 29353369

SN - 0940-1334

VL - 269

SP - 325

EP - 339

JO - European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

JF - European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

IS - 3

ER -