Beliefs of mental illness and affecting factors of health care workers at Aydın Adnan Menderes University Hospital

Background and Aim: Mental disorders are one of the most important public health problems all over the world, and approximately 25% of the population is affected by mental disorders and related conditions each year. In our country, this rate is 17,2%. It is important to reveal the negative belief and stigmatization tendency of healthcare professionals, as negative beliefs and stigmatization tendencies affect the entire diagnosis and treatment process of patients. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the beliefs of the assistant physicians, nurses and other assistant health personnel working at Adnan Menderes University Hospital about mental illnesses and the factors affecting it, and to investigate whether there is a significant difference between these groups in terms of belief. Materials and Method: Our cross-sectional, analytical study was completed between September and November 2022, with 515 people working at Aydın Adnan Menderes University Hospital. Participants were divided into three groups as assistant physician, nurse-midwife and other health workers and the number of participants was determined by stratified sampling method. A questionnaire including questions about some socio-demographic characteristics and general health information and 21-question RHYIO were applied to the participants by face-to-face method. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 18.0 statistical program. Results: The mean age of the participants was 30.4 ± 6.2 (between 20-56 years), 69.9% (n=360) were female, 51.3% (n=264) were married. 18.1% (n=93) of the participants stated that they had a psychiatric disorder at any time in their lives, and 44.1% (n=41) of those who had psychiatric disorders stated that they used medication for these disorders. 70% of the participants (n=361) marked the option of sadness when asked what is the emotion created by individuals with mental disorders. The mean score of all participants was 47.3 ± 15.9, which was significantly lower in the resident physician group. Conclusion: Although resident physicians had the most positive beliefs, their scale scores were slightly below moderate. While there was no significant relationship between the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and their beliefs, the beliefs of the participants with a higher education level were more positive. In-service trainings and practical applications to be given to healthcare professionals can contribute to a positive change in their beliefs about mental illness. Key words: Mental illness, Belief, Healthcare professionals