This study investigated the attitudes of mental health counselors toward persons with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Three hundred and fifty-eight members of the American Mental Health Counselors Association were mailed a survey packet including an Attitude Towards AIDS Victims scale and an additional two questions assessing comfort with clients with AIDS. Demographic information was also collected. There were 255 useable surveys, for a response rate of 72%. The results of the survey indicated that gender was not a significant independent variable in the attitudes of the mental health counselors. Professional and/or personal contacts with a person with AIDS were highly predictive of positive attitudes. Sexual orientation of the respondent was also highly significant as was personal acquaintance with a gay male or lesbian. Formal AIDS training of one hour or more showed a significant relationship with attitudes of mental health counselors toward persons with AIDS, with the relationship becoming more significant at 11 or more hours. The study indicated that mental health counselors are largely uninvolved in providing mental health treatment to persons with AIDS, with 5% of the subjects providing 70% of the services. Recommendations follow regarding preservice and inservice AIDS training and the need for mental health counselors to be more proactive in the AIDS epidemic. / Graduation date: 1996

SAMMANFATTNING Det finns stora skillnader i hälsa mellan olika grupper i samhället gällande bemötande och den vård som erbjuds. Personer med psykiatriska sjukdomar har ökad ohälsa och kortare livslängd. Det har också visat sig att denna grupp ofta får sämre somatisk vård och inte tillgång till rekommenderade läkemedel i samma omfattning som andra patienter. Detta beror på att vården, liksom samhället i stort, fungerar inom en ram av diskriminerande strukturer som skapas av dominerande attityder och värderingar i samhället. Det är därför viktigt att belysa svenska sjuksköterskors attityder till psykisk ohälsa. Syfte: Att undersöka sjuksköterskors attityder till psykisk ohälsa inom den somatiska vården. Metod: Kvantitativ studiedesign, datainsamling via webbenkät med egenkonstruerade påstående, inspirerade av enkäten MICA (Mental Illness: Clinicians’ Attitudes Scale). Urvalet bestod av 103 specialistsjuksköterskestuderande vid ett universitet i Mellansverige. Svarsfrekvensen var 59 enkäter, enkätsvaren samlades in vårterminen 2015. Resultat: Sjuksköterskorna i denna studie visar ingen hög grad av negativa attityder till psykisk ohälsa eller mot personer med psykisk ohälsa. Sjuksköterskans ålder har viss betydelse för vilka attityder hen har till psykisk ohälsa. Detta visar sig tydligt i påståendet, ”Personer med psykisk ohälsa är farligare för sin omgivning än personer utan psykisk ohälsa”. 45 % av sjuksköterskorna som var under 35 år instämde helt eller delvis i detta påstående jämfört med sjuksköterskor över 35 år där 29 % svarade att de instämde och 71 % instämde inte i påståendet. Slutsats: Denna studie visar att sjuksköterskor inom den somatiska vården har olika grad av negativa attityder, främst beroende på sjuksköterskans ålder. Sjuksköterskor i åldern under 35 år har en högre grad av negativa attityder än sjuksköterskor över 35 år. Nyckelord: stigma, sjuksköterska, psykisk ohälsa, attityder / ABSTRACT There are large differences in health between different groups in our society in terms of the treatment and the care offered. People with psychiatric illness have increased illness and a shorter life expectancy. It has also been shown that this group often get worse somatic care and no access to recommended drugs in the same extent as other patients. This is due to the care, as well as society in general, works within a framework of discriminatory structures created by the dominant attitudes and values ​​in society. It is therefore important to highlight the Swedish nurses’ attitudes to mental illness. Aim: To examine nurses' attitudes towards mental illness in somatic care. Method: Quantitative study design, data collection through a web-survey with self-designed statements, inspired by the survey MICA (Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitudes Scale). The sample consisted of 103 specialist-nursing students at a university in central Sweden. The response rate was 59 surveys, survey responses were collected spring term 2015. Results: The nurses in this study show no high levels of negative attitudes to mental illness, or against people with mental illness. The nurse’s age has some importance to the attitudes towards mental illness. This shows up clearly in the statement, "Persons with mental illness are more dangerous to their environment than people without mental illness." 45% of the nurses who were under the age of 35 years agreed fully or partly with this statement, compared with nurses over the age of 35 years where 29% said they agreed and 71% disagreed with the statement. Conclusion: This study shows that nurses in somatic care have different levels of negative attitudes, mainly due to the nurse's age. Nurses under the age of 35 years have more negative attitudes compared to nurses over the age of 35 years. Keywords: stigma, nurse, mental health, attitudes

Disruptive behavior disorders consist of oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. These disorders account for about 40 percent of child referrals to mental health services. This study aims to evaluate how socioeconomic status, ethnicity, prior help-seeking behaviors, and gender relate to the attitudes that participants with symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders have toward mental health service. The study found that females have a more positive attitude regarding mental health service than males. Minorities with lower disruptive behavior have more positive attitudes about mental health than Caucasians with lower and higher disruptive behavior as well as minorities with high disruptive behavior, with this group viewing mental health most negatively. Results indicated that individuals who received mental health services view them more positively than individuals who have not received mental health services, and individuals with lower SES may be exposed to receiving more services compared to individuals with higher SES.

AIDS-related stigma and mental health professionals.

The present research was conducted in order to ascertain whether differences in attitudes exist between the three main professional groups which are presently the major providers of mental health care -- psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and social workers -- with respect to six treatment modalities: Individual Psychotherapy, Individual Counseling, Family Therapy, Group Therapy, Psychiatric Medication and Psychiatric Hospitalization. Modalities evaluated include treatments appropriate to a variety of individual, social and biological concepts of mental health/pathology. It was assumed that any such attitudinal differences might reflect biases in the provision of mental health treatment and therefore be an important concern for consumers of mental health care.

This study was conducted to determine why counselors use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Third Edition, Revised) (DSM-III-R), to describe their opinions regarding the advantages and disadvantages of its use, to determine whether they believe deliberate misdiagnosis of clients occurs, to determine whether they believe they are adequately trained in the use of the DSM-III-R, and to identify counselor characteristics that are significantly related to their evaluations of the DSM-III-R. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of 550 Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselors. The response rate was 70.7%. Results of the study indicate that the respondents use the DSM-III-R for billing insurance, case conceptualization, treatment planning and communication with other professionals, meeting requirements of employers and external entities such as the courts, and for educational and evaluative functions. These reasons for its use are also considered to be the advantages of using the DSM-III-R. Disadvantages of the using the DSM-III-R identified include possible negative results of its use, bias and labeling, and difficulty in usage as well as difficulty applying it in marriage and family counseling. Respondents believe clients are deliberately misdiagnosed using the DSM-III-R, and a majority of respondents (62.87%) who indicated whether reported they had training in the use of the DSM-III-R and whether they believe they are adequately trained in its use said their training is adequate. Results of canonical correlation analyses indicate that respondents' amounts of training in the use of the DSM-III-R, their work settings, and their clients' being charged for counseling services are significantly related to various aspects of their evaluations of the advantages and disadvantages of the DSM-III-R. / Ph. D.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach to service delivery based on the understanding of the prevalence of psychological trauma among service users, knowledge about the impact trauma has on engagement to services, and recognition that service settings can be re-traumatizing. For more than a decade, momentum has been building on this topic. Practitioners are pursuing the knowledge and skills needed to implement trauma-informed service delivery, while organizations are building infrastructure and processes aimed at supporting this approach. Disciplines across many human service sectors are eager to incorporate TIC into policy and practice. Despite this enthusiasm, implementation efforts are slow. Acquiring foundational knowledge about TIC has typically been recommended as a first step when implementing a trauma-informed approach. However, slow progress in implementation suggests knowledge may not be enough. This study investigated the individual characteristics that impact a commitment to TIC, with specific attention to the relationship between foundational knowledge about trauma-informed care and commitment to TIC. Other variables of interest included perceived principal support, TIC self-efficacy, beliefs about trauma and its impact, and organizational strain. Survey data were collected from 118 participants working in mental health, public health, and early childhood. Results from structural equation modeling suggest that foundational knowledge predicts affective commitment to TIC both directly and with the partially mediated paths through principal support, TIC self-efficacy, and beliefs about trauma. Organizational strain does not moderate these effects. However, group differences based on high and low levels of perceived organizational strain were observed and discussed. These findings add to the growing literature on TIC and should be considered as organizations strive to implement TIC.