Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Ψυχική Υγεία Παιδιών και ΕφήβωνLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Author:
Michailidou Sophia
Supervisors info:
Βασιλική Μπενέτου, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Γεράσιμος Κολαΐτης, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Ανδρονίκη Νάσκα, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Η διερεύνηση των απόψεων των εκπαιδευτικών για τη ψυχική ασθένεια και η συσχέτιση τους με τη συνεργασία σχολείου – ψυχοκοινωνικής υπηρεσίας
Translated title:
Teachers' views on mental illness and correlation with school based psychosocial- service collaboration
Summary:
Introduction: Mental illness and the public stigma associated with it has long been the subject of scientific research. Research on mental health of children and adolescents focuses on the significance of prevention and promotion of mental health within the educational framework, such as through the collaboration between the school unit and the psycho-social services. Teachers are considered important in shaping students' opinion. In Greece there is lack of information regarding teachers' views on mental illness.
Purpose: To study teachers' opinions towards mental illness, their association with sociodemographic characteristics and the effect of psycho-social services in forming these opinions.
Material and Method: A total of 156 active teachers in primary and secondary, public and private schools in Athens, Greece participated in the study during October 2018-March 2019. Opinions about mental illness were collected with the Opinion about Mental Illness Scale.
Results: Participants working in senior high-schools in comparison with those working in elementary and high schools (p=0,047) and those having the view that mental illness concerns the students' compared to teachers, parents or the whole school community (p=0,049) were more prone to social discrimination. Participants of a higher educational level were less likely to be inclined towards the isolation of mental patients compared to those of the lower educational level (p=0,007). Those who believed that mental illness concerns primarily the parents were more prone to seclusion (p=0,002). Male teachers in comparison to female (p=0,006) and those who were negative/neutral to a collaboration between the school unit and the psycho-social services in comparison to those who were positive (p=0,043) demonstrated less social concern. Those who supported the idea that mental illness concerns the students in comparison to other aforementioned categories, proved to have a strong intrapersonal, intrapsychic cause (p=0,045). The existence of psycho-social services was not associated with participants’ opinions on mental illness.
Conclusion: Teachers' opinions on mental illness were associated with gender, educational level, primary or secondary level of teaching and opinion about who is associated the most with mental illness in the school community. The collaboration with a psycho-social service was not associated with participants’ opinions on mental illness in this sample.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Mental illness, Stigmatization, School, Psycho-social services, Teachers' views
