Jornal Internacional de Saúde Pública e Segurança

Attitude of Medical Students at Sultan Qaboos University toward Psychiatry

Abstract

Ali Al Qubtan, Jaber Al Lawati, Mohammed Al Alawi and Hamed Al Sinawi

Objectives: To examine the attitude of medical students at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) toward Psychiatry and the impact of factors such as age, gender, curriculum, clinical level, Psychiatry training, and experience of mental illness in self or family. Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted among medical students at the college of Medicine at Sultan Qaboos University, muscat, Oman. All students from the Pre–clerkship, junior–clerkship and 7th year students were invited to participate in this study. The 30 items Attitude toward Psychiatry survey (ATP–30) was used. Data was analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 19. Results: A total of 269 students participated in the study (37% males and 63% females). The Attitude towards Psychiatry (ATP) was moderately positive and the positivity increased among the students who completed psychiatry rotation. The impact of demographic factors on the attitude was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study showed that medical students at Sultan Qaboos University have a positive attitude toward psychiatry.