Unit:
Κατεύθυνση ΨυχιατροδικαστικήLibrary of the School of Health Sciences
Supervisors info:
Αθανάσιος Δουζένης, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Μαρίνα Οικονόμου, Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Ιωάννης Μιχόπουλος, Αν. Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Έρευνα στάσεων και αντιλήψεων των δημοσιογράφων για τους ψυχικά πάσχοντες από κατάθλιψη σε σύγκριση με την αντίληψή τους για τους πάσχοντες από σχιζοφρένεια
Translated title:
A survey of journalists' attitudes and perceptions of mentally patients suffering from depression compared to their perceptions of patients suffering from schizophrenia
Summary:
Introduction: Social stigma is a derogatory and defamatory characterization that affects mental disorders and the mentally ill, even nowadays. The audience prefers the print and electronic media as the main information and entertainment source, however in most of the cases, the stereotypical mapping of the mentally ill prevails in media. Investigation of mass media influences, in shaping, dissemination or feeding of social stigma, will provide additional scientific knowledge and documentation about eradication strategies of negative stereotyping and stigma.
Aim: This research examines the attitudes and perceptions of journalists, who are the mass media handlers, towards mental disorder, depression and schizophrenia. The main purpose is to investigate, if their personal attitudes towards mental disorders, affects and links by recording and capturing stigmatizing perceptions in media.
Method: The sample consisted of 163 journalists of all categories. There, it was used the “Attitudes In Severe Mental Illness (ASMI)” scale and the “Perceptions and Attitudes about “Depression” and “Perceptions and Attitudes about Schizophrenia” questionnaires. These two questionnaires, were constructed and tested with factor analysis and then, they were distributed at this research.
Results: There were not found stigmatizing perceptions and attitudes towards mental disorder. Less stigmatizing perceptions and attitudes were found towards depression, while they were higher towards schizophrenia. About 94.6% considered schizophrenia more severe disease and 90.4% considered patients with schizophrenia more dangerous than those with depression. The higher educational level is associated with more positive attitude towards schizophrenia, and it seems that marital status and place of residence affect personal interest in depression. Attitudes towards depression and schizophrenia are affected by the degree of stigmatizing perceptions and attitudes in general, towards mental disorder and vice versa.
Limitations: The convenience sample lacks clear generalizability, and no clinical vignettes were used.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Mental disorder, Stigma, Depression, Schizophrenia, Mass media, Journalists
Number of references:
224
