title: The Influence of Causal Explanations and Diagnostic Labeling on Psychology Students' Beliefs About Treatments, Prognosis, Dangerousness and Unpredictability in Schizophrenia.
abstract: This study explored views of 566 Italian psychology students about schizophrenia. The most frequently cited causes were psychological traumas (68 %) and heredity (54 %). Thirty-three percent of students firmly believed that people with the condition could recover. Reporting heredity among the causes, and identifying schizophrenia were both associated with prognostic pessimism, greater confidence in pharmacological treatments and lower confidence in psychological treatments. Schizophrenia labeling was also associated with higher perception of unpredictability and dangerousness. Compared to first year students, fourth/fifth year students more frequently reported heredity among the causes, and were more pessimistic about schizophrenia recovery. Stigma topics should be included in future psychologists' education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy. lorenza.magliano@unina2.it.
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Magliano
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Read
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rinaldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Costanzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Leo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Giustina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schioppa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Second University of Naples, Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petrillo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D011584:Psychology / Q000193:education*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D057545:Social Stigma; D013240:Stereotyping; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Causal explanations; Diagnostic labeling; Psychology students; Schizophrenia; Stigma