Comparison of attitude and perspectives of Nurses and Patient Care Attendants towards mental illness : A cross sectional study in a tertiary care

The study of attitudes toward mental illness and people with mental illness has been an important domain of mental health professionals. Individuals living with psychiatric illness have been seen as bizarre, terrifying, eccentric, aggressive and who lack self control. The attitudes to the mentally ill have mirrored the overall situation at the times. In western studies, scientists have commonly researched that supporting ward staff (eg:attendants) are more authoritarian and restrictive in their perspectives about mental patientsthan are clinic experts ( specialists, nurses ). A few studies have investigated key perspectives in both gener- al and specialised population including health professionals. Since negative attitudes and beliefs, especially the ones held by the workforce, who are destined to have contact with in- dividuals with psychiatric illness, and can have broad reper- cussions, it is basic that this group be widely studied. Specific consideration has been missing on nursing staff, and all the more uniquely on the ward attendants, who from a signifi- cant cog in the wheel of mental health services. A study that characterises their attitude would go on far in shaping approaches and instructive projects for diminishing shame and advancing positive mental health services. This study aims to study such attitudes and explore the relations of different domains with various sociodemographic factors. The study was cross sectional in nature, with 30 subjects in each group, on whom the COMMUNITY ATTITUDE TOWARDS MENTAL ILLNESS scale was administered, and association of various variables were statistically analysed and interpreted.

Author(s): Dr Sumati Arikera

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