Medical students’ attitudes towards mental stigmatization and its associated with own and familial psychosomatic disorders

¹ Don state Technical University, Rostov-on-Don, 344022, Russia
² Rostov State Medical University, Rostov-on-Don, 344022, Russia
³ Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, 236016, Russia
⁴ Udmurt State University, Izhevsk 426034, Russia

^* Corresponding author: dmitriev.max@mail.ru

Abstract

The problem of mental illness stigma is relevant in many countries. The position of the physicians is especially important, as they face patients with mental comorbid diseases. This study analyzes the attitudes of medical students towards mental stigmatization and reveals a relationship with the own and familial psychosomatic disorders common to the affective pathology. The first part of the study includes 229 respondents who answered 11 questions from the questionnaire «Social perceptions of mental health». The second part of the study involves 81 students who answered a questionnaire consisted of 18 questions on psychosomatic disorders among the respondents and their families. This study revealed a wide range of opinions on the of stigmatization among medical students. The indicator of negative attitude or stigmatization is diagnostic and reliable and was recorded in 24% of respondents. The data also obtained this opinion is frequent among student with gastrointestinal somatic symptoms. Lower level of stigmatization was found among students with affective disorders, as well as among students with a family history of sleep disorders, anxiety and a general level of somatic diseases. Medical students in their senior years have a wide range of opinions about psychiatry and mentally ill people. Personal and family experience of psychosomatic disorders is an important factor in reducing mental illness stigma.