Background
Patients with schizophrenia and their families have suffered greatly from the negative
social attitude toward their illness, which results in social discrimination. Moreover, this
social discrimination leads to many drawbacks in patient’s life, such as problems in
person relationship, education, and work.
Objective
The study aims to explore the view of nonpsychiatric medical staff and medical students
toward patients with schizophrenia to establish better service and quality of life toward
patients with schizophrenia in Sohag University.
Patients and methods
It is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the Faculty of Medicine and
its related Hospital of Sohag University. A total sample of 160 nonpsychiatric medical
staff from resident to professor and 96 sixth-year medical students were enrolled in the
study and asked to complete the antistigma questionnaire. The antistigma
questionnaire was calibrated and structured with 25 questions divided into three
thematic parts; the questions were assorted differently, and for each question, one of
the three offered answers should have been chosen (yes, no, or I do not know).
The questionnaire was self-administered.
Results
The study showed that all groups lacked knowledge toward schizophrenia, with very
high statistically significant difference among the four groups (Po0.004). Residents
and lecturers represented the ones with the poorest knowledge followed by
students and then professors. This results in stigmatizing attitude toward patients with
schizophrenia and toward their treatment, future rehabilitation, and resocialization, with
statistically significant difference (Po0.019 and <0.051, respectively). Overall, 42.2%
of the female participants had good knowledge compared with 33.9% of the males,
and the difference is significant (Po0.024). However, there is no significant difference
between males and females in their stigmatizing attitude.
Conclusion
Insufficient knowledge leads to stigmatizing attitudes among nonpsychiatric medical
staff, which could lead to decreased quality of life and seeking medical advice among
patients with schizophrenia.