title: Stigmatization of 'psychiatric label' by medical and non-medical students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stigmatization of psychiatric patients is present both in the general population and among healthcare professionals.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the attitudes and behaviour of medical students towards a person who goes to a psychiatrist, before and after psychiatric rotation, and to compare those attitudes between medical and non-medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 525 medical students (second and sixth year of studies) and 154 students of law. The study instrument was a three-part self-reported questionnaire (socio-demographic data, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a vignette depicting a young, mentally healthy person). The experimental intervention consisted of ascribing a 'psychiatric label' to only one set of vignettes. All the vignettes (with or without the 'psychiatric label') were followed by 14 statements addressing the acceptance of a person described by vignette, as judged by social distance (four-point Likert scale).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher tendency to stigmatize was found in medical students in the final year, after psychiatric rotation (Z(U) = -3.12, p = .002), particularly in a closer relationship (Z(U) = -2.67, p = .007) between a student and a hypothetical person who goes to a psychiatrist. The non-medical students had a similar tendency to stigmatize as medical students before psychiatric rotation (Z(U) = -0.03, p = .975). Neither gender, nor the size of student's place of origin or average academic mark was associated with the tendency to stigmatize in our sample. However, student's elf-esteem was lower in those with a tendency to stigmatize more in a distant relationship (ρ = -0.157, p = .005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychiatric education can either reinforce stigmatization or reduce it. Therefore, detailed analyses of educational domains that reinforce stigma will be the starting point for anti-stigma action.
authors: Clinic of Psychiatry, Clinical Centre Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors: Sanja
authors: S
authors: Totic
authors: Dragan
authors: D
authors: Stojiljkovic
authors: Zorana
authors: Z
authors: Pavlovic
authors: Nenad
authors: N
authors: Zaric
authors: Boris
authors: B
authors: Zarkovic
authors: Ljubica
authors: L
authors: Malic
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Mihaljevic
authors: Miroslava
authors: M
authors: Jasovic-Gasic
authors: Nadja P
authors: NP
authors: Maric
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D033241:Lawyers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D055771:Serbia; D013240:Stereotyping; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult