Opinions about people with schizophrenia among medical students: Findings from an Italian cross-sectional study

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that stigmatisation toward people with schizophrenia (PWS) is common among healthcare professionals and represents a major barrier to care. Aim: The study aimed at comparing the opinions about PWS among Italian medical students at different stages of education. Methods: Study participants were 234 medical students, attending either the first three-years pre-clinical or the following three-years clinical stage. Participants read an unlabelled case-vignette of schizophrenia and completed the Opinions on Mental Illness Questionnaire. Results: A greater proportion of students at the clinical stage identified schizophrenia in the clinical description, compared to their younger colleagues They were also more optimist about the efficacy of drug and psychological treatments and sceptical regarding the possibility of PWS to establish their own family. Conclusion: This study suggests that medical training may benefit from providing information about recovery from schizophrenia and contact with PWS in the community.