How Movies Shape Students' Attitudes Toward Individuals with Schizophrenia: An Exploration of the Relationships between Entertainment Experience and Stigmatization.
Mass media shape not only public, but also healthcare professionals' attitudes towards individuals with a mental illness. This study investigates how watching a movie about schizophrenia affects stigma-related attitudes of rehabilitation science students, who are likely to work with affected individuals. Participants watched an entertainment movie portrayal of schizophrenia. Stigma-related attitudes and social distance were assessed one week before watching the movie, directly afterwards, and one week later. No significant differences in stigmatization emerged between viewers and non-viewers. Enjoyment, appreciation, and general movie evaluation mediated viewers' transportation into the story on changes in stigmatization. Results are discussed with respect to media effects on stigma-related attitudes and their implications for mental health nursing practice and education.
a TU Dortmund University, School of Rehabilitation Sciences , Department of Language and Communication , Dortmund , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany.
Alexander
A
Röhm
b TU Dortmund University, School of Rehabilitation Sciences , Department of Qualitative Research Methods and Strategic Communication for Health , Inclusion and Participation, Dortmund , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany.
Matthias R
MR
Hastall
a TU Dortmund University, School of Rehabilitation Sciences , Department of Language and Communication , Dortmund , North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany.
Ute
U
Ritterfeld
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009040:Motion Pictures; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000193:education*; D012559:Schizophrenia; D057545:Social Stigma; D013240:Stereotyping; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult