Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review
BackgroundPsychiatry is facing one of the highest levels of shortages among medical specialties. Stigma toward psychiatry plays an influential role in medical students' decision to choose psychiatry as a career and has been reported to be prevalent in different parts of the world, particularly...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1027377/full |
| _version_ | 1797942790635651072 |
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| author | Mohammad Mohebbi Nastaran Nafissi Farzaneh Ghotbani Arash Khojasteh Zonoozi Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili |
| author_facet | Mohammad Mohebbi Nastaran Nafissi Farzaneh Ghotbani Arash Khojasteh Zonoozi Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili |
| author_sort | Mohammad Mohebbi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundPsychiatry is facing one of the highest levels of shortages among medical specialties. Stigma toward psychiatry plays an influential role in medical students' decision to choose psychiatry as a career and has been reported to be prevalent in different parts of the world, particularly in low/middle-income countries.ObjectiveTo systematically review the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) medical students' attitudes toward psychiatry, to assess whether their attitudes are stigmatized or not, and the factors affecting their attitudes.MethodPubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsychInfo (PsycARTICLES) were searched using a combination of main terms “stigma,” “psychiatry,” “medical students,” and the name of Eastern Mediterranean countries. Cross-sectional studies assessing the attitudes of EMR medical students toward psychiatry were included in this review.ResultsTen studies were eligible to be included in the result synthesis. These were from Pakistan (n = 3), Iran (n = 2), Saudi Arabia (n = 1), Lebanon (n = 1), Egypt (n = 1), Bahrain (n = 1), and Oman (n = 1). Most studies reported a combination of both positive and negative attitudes among medical students; however, the overall attitude was positive. Factors affecting medical students' attitude toward psychiatry included poor psychological well-being, having a friend with a psychiatric illness, involving in a romantic relationship with someone suffering from mental illness, young age, frequency of exposure to psychiatry clerkship/teaching, and quality of psychiatry clerkship. Nevertheless, the final positive or negative outcome of these factors on students' attitudes remained controversial.ConclusionConsidering the lack of sufficient data from most EMR countries, we need to exercise caution in interpreting the results of this review. Nevertheless, our review indicates that psychiatry is not stigmatized among EMR medical students, and they have generally positive attitudes toward it. The findings of studies evaluating influencing factors are contradictory and demand further exploration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:13:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-183f80f6fa7845de8f10bd380fcb197b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T20:13:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-183f80f6fa7845de8f10bd380fcb197b2023-01-26T07:49:28ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402023-01-011310.3389/fpsyt.2022.10273771027377Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic reviewMohammad Mohebbi0Nastaran Nafissi1Farzaneh Ghotbani2Arash Khojasteh Zonoozi3Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili4Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili5Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranStudent Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranStudent Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranStudent Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranStudent Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranPsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Ibn-e-Sina Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, IranBackgroundPsychiatry is facing one of the highest levels of shortages among medical specialties. Stigma toward psychiatry plays an influential role in medical students' decision to choose psychiatry as a career and has been reported to be prevalent in different parts of the world, particularly in low/middle-income countries.ObjectiveTo systematically review the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) medical students' attitudes toward psychiatry, to assess whether their attitudes are stigmatized or not, and the factors affecting their attitudes.MethodPubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsychInfo (PsycARTICLES) were searched using a combination of main terms “stigma,” “psychiatry,” “medical students,” and the name of Eastern Mediterranean countries. Cross-sectional studies assessing the attitudes of EMR medical students toward psychiatry were included in this review.ResultsTen studies were eligible to be included in the result synthesis. These were from Pakistan (n = 3), Iran (n = 2), Saudi Arabia (n = 1), Lebanon (n = 1), Egypt (n = 1), Bahrain (n = 1), and Oman (n = 1). Most studies reported a combination of both positive and negative attitudes among medical students; however, the overall attitude was positive. Factors affecting medical students' attitude toward psychiatry included poor psychological well-being, having a friend with a psychiatric illness, involving in a romantic relationship with someone suffering from mental illness, young age, frequency of exposure to psychiatry clerkship/teaching, and quality of psychiatry clerkship. Nevertheless, the final positive or negative outcome of these factors on students' attitudes remained controversial.ConclusionConsidering the lack of sufficient data from most EMR countries, we need to exercise caution in interpreting the results of this review. Nevertheless, our review indicates that psychiatry is not stigmatized among EMR medical students, and they have generally positive attitudes toward it. The findings of studies evaluating influencing factors are contradictory and demand further exploration.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1027377/fullpsychiatrystigmaattitudesmedical studentsEastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) |
| spellingShingle | Mohammad Mohebbi Nastaran Nafissi Farzaneh Ghotbani Arash Khojasteh Zonoozi Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili Hossein Mohaddes Ardabili Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review Frontiers in Psychiatry psychiatry stigma attitudes medical students Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) |
| title | Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review |
| title_full | Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review |
| title_fullStr | Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review |
| title_short | Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review |
| title_sort | attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in eastern mediterranean region a systematic review |
| topic | psychiatry stigma attitudes medical students Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1027377/full |
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