
Stigma is frequently considered an obstacle to schizophrenia treatment and recovery. However, little is known regarding the stigma experienced by persons with schizophrenia among Syrian college students.A total of 963 students from Syrian colleges and universities participated in this study, using a questionnaire with a case vignette illustrating schizophrenia. The questionnaire inquired about people's attitudes toward schizophrenia and their desire to avoid contact with people with schizophrenia. The current study investigated college students' stigma toward people with schizophrenia, desire for social distancing, gender (male and female), and major (medical and non-medical) differences. The people described in the vignette were deemed "dangerous" (28%) and "could snap out of the problem" (50.20%), according to the respondents. Female students were more likely than male students to agree that "schizophrenia is not really a medical disease" (4.40% vs. 8.9%, p ≤ 0.05). Compared with medical students, non-medical students were more likely to agree that "The problem is a reflection of personal weakness" (20% vs. 21.7%, p < 0.05). Many respondents said they would not "marry into the family of someone with schizophrenia" (95.6%) or "work closely with them" (77.6%). Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that a considerable percentage of Syrian college students exhibited stigma toward persons with schizophrenia and really wanted to avoid social interaction with them, with female and non-medical students having higher stigma toward people with schizophrenia in several subscale items. The findings imply that more anti-stigma interventions for Syrian college students should be implemented to help avoid or lessen the stigma toward people with schizophrenia.
Medical Education
Medical Education
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 1 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
