MEDICAL-STUDENTS ATTITUDES TOWARD PSYCHIATRY IN GREECE - AN 8-YEAR COMPARISON

This study is a comparative investigation of the attitudes toward psyc hiatry of two medical student groups who did their undergraduate train ing in psychiatry in 1985 and 1993. Attitude assessments were carried out by using the Libertarian Mental Health Ideology Scale (LMHIS). The students completed the questionnaire twice, af the beginning and at t he end of their clerkship. The LMHIS was also completed by the teachin g staff. Both medical student groups showed a significant change in th eir attitudes toward psychiatry after the end of the training. The cha nge consisted of a shift to a more medical orientation. However, the 1 993 group manifested a significantly higher medical orientation both b efore and after their undergraduate training in psychiatry compared wi th the 1985 group. Furthermore, the former group's opinions at the end of their education were similar to those of their teaching staff, whe reas the 1985 students continued to have a lower medical orientation c ompared with the teaching staff. These findings indicate that II psych iatric education during medical school may significantly mold students ' attitudes toward psychiatry anti 2) if these medical student groups represent the larger Greek society, then significant changes may be oc curring in the creek society about attitudes toward psychiatry.