title: Staff regard towards working with substance users: a European multi-centre study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare regard for working with different patient groups (including substance users) among different professional groups in different health-care settings in eight European countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multi-centre, cross-sectional comparative study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary care, general psychiatry and specialist addiction services in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A multi-disciplinary convenience sample of 866 professionals (physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and social workers) from 253 services.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Medical Condition Regard Scale measured regard for working with different patient groups. Multi-factor between-subjects analysis of variance determined the factors associated with regard for each condition by country and all countries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regard for working with alcohol (mean score alcohol: 45.35, 95% CI 44.76, 45.95) and drug users (mean score drugs: 43.67, 95% CI 42.98, 44.36) was consistently lower than for other patient groups (mean score diabetes: 50.19, 95% CI 49.71, 50.66; mean score depression: 51.34, 95% CI 50.89, 51.79) across all countries participating in the study, particularly among staff from primary care compared to general psychiatry or specialist addiction services (P<0.001). After controlling for sex of staff, profession and duration of time working in profession, treatment entry point and country remained the only statistically significant variables associated with regard for working with alcohol and drug users.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health professionals appear to ascribe lower status to working with substance users than helping other patient groups, particularly in primary care; the effect is larger in some countries than others.
authors.affiliation: Substance Use Disorders Research Group, Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica-Hospital del Mar, c/Dr Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain. ggilchrist@imim.es
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gilchrist
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moskalewicz
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Slezakova
authors.forename: Lubomir
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Okruhlica
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torrens
authors.forename: Rajko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vajd
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baldacchino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D055030:Drug Users; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D055815:Young Adult