Highlights
- •University students have low/moderate negative belief towards mental illness and think that mental illnesses are dangerous.
- •As university students' get older, their negative beliefs toward mental illness decrease.
- •As university students' empathy skills increase, their negative beliefs toward mental illness decrease.
- •As university students' tendency to social distance towards individuals with mental illness increases, their positive beliefs toward mental illnesses increase.
- •Psychiatric nurses should plan and conduct education programs on mental illnesses for university students and their families.
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the level of beliefs toward mental illnesses
in university students and to examine its relationship with empathic tendency and
social distance level. This descriptive and relational study was conducted at the
Faculty of Health Sciences and Faculty of Nursing of a state university in Turkey.
The sample of the study consisted of 678 students studying in the 4th grade of these
faculties. Personal Information Form, the Beliefs Toward Mental Illness Scale (BMI),
the Empathic Tendency Scale (ETS), and the Social Distance Scale (SDI) were used to
collect data. It was determined that there was a high level of negative relationship
between the students' mean BMI score and the age variable and the empathic tendency
and social distance mean scores. It was seen that the mean Empathic Tendecy Scale
and Social Distance Scale scores accounted for 86.6 % of the change in the mean BMI
score (Adjusted R2 = 0.826). The mean BMI score of the students was found to be below
the medium level. On the other hand, it was found that empathic tendency and social
distance mean scores were above the medium level and had an effect on the mean BMI
score. Psychosocial factors that are effective in the emergence of negative beliefs
about mental illnesses in students should be investigated and studies should be carried
out to increase awareness about negative beliefs.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 25, 2022
Accepted:
September 18,
2022
Received in revised form:
September 2,
2022
Received:
April 8,
2022
Identification
Copyright
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