title: Malaysian medical students' perceptions of a film to promote psychiatry as a career.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to evaluate perceptions of a Royal College of Psychiatrists promotional film among Malaysian medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Year 3 (n=108) and Year 5 (n=108) students completed separate standard measures of attitudes to psychiatry: the ATP 30 and Balon scales, respectively. A questionnaire was also administered recording students' socio-demographic information, career preferences, perceptions of the film's effectiveness and its influence on career choice. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of responses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall response rate was 95.5%. Mean career preference ranking for psychiatry was higher for Year 5 than for Year 3 (p=0.025). For most Year 3 (64.8%) and Year 5 (58.3%) respondents the film conveyed a positive image of psychiatry. Fewer perceived it as influencing career choice: 31.4% for Year 3 and 27.2% for Year 5. Higher scores on both attitudinal scales correlated positively with increasing likelihood of students rating the film positively (Year 3: p=0.000; Year 5: p=0.003). Thematic content analysis suggested possible socio-cultural influences on students' perceptions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite conveying a positive image of psychiatry, promotional films may have limited impact in changing students' attitudes towards psychiatry and in increasing interest in psychiatry as a career.
authors: Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Penang Medical College, Penang, Malaysia.
authors: Umadevi
authors: U
authors: Vasudevan
authors: Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Penang Medical College, Penang, Malaysia.
authors: Arokiamary
authors: A
authors: Bharathy
authors: Lecturer, Department of Pre-University Studies, Disted College, Penang, Malaysia.
authors: Koay
authors: K
authors: Jun Min
authors: Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Penang Medical College, Penang, Malaysia.
authors: Joseph Jacob
authors: JJ
authors: Panikulam
authors: Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
authors: Fahad
authors: F
authors: Saleem
authors: Head, Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
authors: Azmi
authors: A
authors: Hassali
authors: Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland vincentrussell@rcsi.ie.
authors: Vincent
authors: V
authors: Russell
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D009040:Motion Pictures; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: attitudes; medical students; psychiatry; stigma and discrimination; transcultural psychiatry