European Study on the Attitude of Psychiatrists Towards Their Patients

NCT ID: NCT04644978

Last Updated: 2022-10-27

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 4245 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-07-29
• Study Completion Date: 2022-07-31

Brief Summary

Background: Many people think that people with mental disorders might be dangerous or unpredictable. These patients face various sources of disadvantages and experience discrimination on job interviews, in education, and housing. Mental health-related stigma (MHS) occurs not only within the public community, it is a growing issue among professionals as well.

Aim: The investigators designed a prospective, observational, multi-centre, international study of 35 European countries to investigate the MHS among medical specialists and trainees in the field of general adult and child and adolescent psychiatry.

Methods: An internet-based, anonymous survey will measure the stigmatizing attitude by using the local version of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers.

Presentation of the Results: The results of the research will be published in an international peer-reviewed journal. Furthermore, the research team will present the results at national and international conferences.

Detailed Description

There is a rising interest in the examination of the MHS that has been mostly studied among community people. Numerous international studies have shown that people with mental illness are considered to be unpredictable and dangerous. These people often experience disadvantages in various situations, like job interviews, education, and housing.

The MHS has been much less examined among medical professionals and psychiatrists; however, studies have shown that it is prevalent among them as well.

A recent multi-centre study collected the positive and negative experiences of 777 people with schizophrenia regarding access to healthcare services in 27 countries. More than 17% of the patients experienced some kind of discrimination due to their mental illness when they sought medical care for physical problems. More than 38% felt that the medical staff was disrespectful during psychiatric services. Higher discrimination was found within the former Eastern Bloc countries.

Generally, psychiatrists tend to be more empathetic towards people with mental illnesses; however, the MHS could be observed among them as well. A few studies have also shown that their attitude is more negative than that of community people.

Based on the ambiguous results and the lack of studies focusing on the stigmatizing attitude of psychiatrists, the research team aimed to examine this important issue among medical professionals in the mental health field.

Aim of the study:

Our aim is to investigate the stigmatizing attitudes and behaviours of adult psychiatric and child and adolescent psychiatric professionals and trainees towards people with mental illness in European countries.

The results of our study will contribute to the expansion of the existing knowledge both on national and international levels. The outcome could be used for the development of anti-stigma programs and the improvement of therapeutic options in the future.

Structure of the research:

Our study is cross-sectional and multi-centred across 35 European countries. The research team would like to measure the extent of the stigmatizing attitude and its relationship with psychosocial factors.

• Sociodemographic measures:

• sociodemographic data: age, sex
• professional data: workplace categories (university, psychiatric hospital, outpatient service, research centre); location of the workplace (capital, county seat, rural town, small town, village); years of professional experience; current psychotherapeutic activity
• personal information (related to a stigmatizing attitude): mental illness is known in his/her family or close friend, previous treatment for own mental illness, attending psychotherapy
• National version of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC)

An online questionnaire will be provided for the participants of our study. Participation in the study is voluntary, and it can be terminated at any time without having to give any reasons.

Conditions

Mental Illness; Stigmatization

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

Trainees and specialists in child and adult psychiatry

The responder must be a practising specialist or trainee in psychiatry or child and adolescent psychiatry in the participating European countries on the basis of his / her own declaration. Responders could provide their consent by choosing "I agree" on the website, after reading the information leaflet and the informed consent form.

anonymous online survey

Intervention Type: OTHER

An online questionnaire will be provided for the participants of our study. Participation in the study is voluntary and it can be terminated at any time without having to give any reasons.

Interventions

anonymous online survey

An online questionnaire will be provided for the participants of our study. Participation in the study is voluntary and it can be terminated at any time without having to give any reasons.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• The responder must be a practising specialist or trainee in psychiatry or child and adolescent psychiatry in one of the participating countries on the basis of his / her own declaration.
• Responders could provide their consent by choosing "I agree" on the website, after reading the information leaflet and the informed consent form. Only those participants will be able to complete the online survey who chose "I agree" on the website.

Exclusion Criteria

• The choice of "I do not agree" option of the participant on the website after reading the informed consent form. The responder will be guided automatically to the end of the survey.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 24 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Semmelweis University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Dorottya Ori

Principal investigator, MD

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Dorottya Ori, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Vadaskert Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital, Budapest, Hungary

Locations

Xhavit Gjata Hospital

Tirana, , Albania

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicin, Medical University of Graz

Graz, , Austria

City Hospital N15

Baku, , Azerbaijan

Psychiatric Clinic of Minsk City

Minsk, , Belarus

Military Medical Academy, Department of Psychiatry

Sofia, , Bulgaria

University Hospital Centre Zagreb

Zagreb, , Croatia

Private Practice

Nicosia, , Cyprus

3rd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University

Prague, , Czechia

Research Unit for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychiatry- Aalborg University Hospital

Aalborg, , Denmark

University of Tartu

Tartu, , Estonia

EPSM Étienne Gourmelen

Quimper, , France

Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München

Munich, , Germany

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina

Ioannina, , Greece

Semmelweis University

Budapest, , Hungary

Department of Liasion Psychiatry, Mater University Hospital

Dublin, , Ireland

University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro

Catanzaro, , Italy

Hospital Gintermuiza

Jelgava, , Latvia

Vilnius University, Facutly of Medicine, Psychiatric Clinic

Vilnius, , Lithuania

Mount Carmel Hospital

Attard, , Malta

Clinical Centre of Montenegro, Clinic for Psychiatry

Podgorica, , Montenegro

Erasmus University

Rotterdam, , Netherlands

Institute of Psychological Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of University of Coimbra

Coimbra, , Portugal

The Serbsky State Scientific Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry

Moscow, , Russia

Institute for Mental Health

Belgrade, , Serbia

Psychiatric Hospital Michalovce

Michalovce, , Slovakia

Centre for Clinical Psychiatry, University Psychiatric Clinic and Children's hospital Ljubljana

Ljubljana, , Slovenia

Fidmag Foundation

Barcelona, , Spain

Psychiatrische Klinik Clienia Littenheid

Littenheid, , Switzerland

Ankara City Hospital Bilkent

Ankara, , Turkey (Türkiye)

Chernivtsi Regional Mental Hospital, Bukovinian State Medical University

Chernivtsi, , Ukraine

Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Oldham, , United Kingdom

Countries

Albania; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Bulgaria; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechia; Denmark; Estonia; France; Germany; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Latvia; Lithuania; Malta; Montenegro; Netherlands; Portugal; Russia; Serbia; Slovakia; Slovenia; Spain; Switzerland; Turkey (Türkiye); Ukraine; United Kingdom

References

Ori D, Szocsics P, Molnar T, Motlova LB, Kazakova O, Morkl S, Wallies M, Abdulhakim M, Boivin S, Bruna K, Cabacos C, Carbone EA, Dashi E, Grech G, Greguras S, Ivanovic I, Guevara K, Kakar S, Kotsis K, Ingeholm Klinkby IM, Maslak J, Matheiken S, Mirkovic A, Nechepurenko N, Panayi A, Pereira AT, Pomarol-Clotet E, Raaj S, Prelog PR, Soler-Vidal J, Strumila R, Schuster F, Kisand H, Reim A, Ahmadova G, Vircik M, Kafali HY, Grinko N, Gyorffy Z, Rozsa S. Attitudes of psychiatrists towards people with mental illness: a cross-sectional, multicentre study of stigma in 32 European countries. EClinicalMedicine. 2023 Dec 6;66:102342. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102342. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 38149261 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Eustigma - v. 1.0

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id