Undergraduate Psychology Students' Perceptions of Schizophrenia

Abstract

The author investigated the knowledge and attitudes of undergraduate psychology students toward mental illness, specifically schizophrenia. Student participants responded to several scales measuring various attitudes toward schizophrenia. The author found that students scored approximately 63% on the Understanding Schizophrenia Quiz, which was greater than what was hypothesized. There were significant differences in all four of the CAMI dimensions and both of the OMI dimensions when compared to neutral, meaning that overall students did not have stigmatizing views. Finally, there were no correlations found between scores on the Understanding Schizophrenia Quiz and any of the dimensions on either the CAMI or the OMI, therefore more knowledge did not produce more positive attitudes toward schizophrenia. These results indicate that the amount of basic knowledge about schizophrenia may not be the primary determinant of attitudes towards individuals with schizophrenia.