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Supporting social, emotional and mental health and well-being: Roles of speech-language pathologists
www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.auJCPSLP
Volume 19, Number 3 2017
131
Natalie Alborés
(top), Lyndal
Sheepway
(centre), and
Clare Delany
THIS ARTICLE
HAS BEEN
PEER-
REVIEWED
KEYWORDS
ATTITUDES
CLINICAL
EDUCATION
MENTAL HEALTH
STIGMA
STUDENTS
illness in any one year, 11.5% have one disorder and 8.5%
have two or more disorders (ABS, 2009). Within Australian
hospitals between 2012 and 2013 a total of 9.37 million
mental health related admissions occurred across the
public acute, private acute and public psychiatric systems.
accounting for 2.6% of all hospital admissions by non-
indigenous individuals, and 6.2% of mental health related
admissions by indigenous Australians (AIHW, 2014). With
this high prevalence and the known negative impact on
people with a mental illness diagnosis, there is essential
need for a health workforce adequately trained to assist
individuals and their families and communities to manage
these conditions.
Attitudes of health care
professionals towards mental illness
There is evidence that health care professionals working
within the mental health setting, as well as in more
generalist health services, may hold negative beliefs and
attitudes towards people with mental illness that can
influence their personal and professional behaviours
(Disability Rights Commission, 2006). These types of beliefs
represent forms of stigma. Public stigma, as defined by
Corrigan and Watson (2002), is the reaction that the general
population has to people with mental illness. Self-stigma is
the prejudice which people with mental illness turn against
themselves. Both forms of stigma encompass three areas:
stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination. Stereotypes refer
to (often negative) beliefs or views held about others that
are learned and agreed upon by most members of a social
group. These views can inform impressions and
expectations of individuals who belong to a particular
group, e.g., people with mental illness. While most people
within a social group can recall or describe stereotypical
beliefs, they may not always personally ascribe to them. For
example, a person may be aware of the stereotype that
depicts people with a mental illness as violent and
unpredictable, but they do not necessarily agree with it or
see it as a valid representation of individuals within this
group. People who are prejudiced, however, do ascribe to
these negative stereotypes and may overgeneralise and
apply them indiscriminately to all members within a group,
even though this is clearly inaccurate. Prejudices are deeply
held attitudes that involve both cognitive and emotional
components. For example, a prejudiced individual may
agree that all people with a mental illness are dangerous
and therefore should be feared and ultimately avoided, this
While the prevalence of patients presenting
to hospitals with mental health conditions is
growing, allied health professionals often
poorly understand the needs and overall
different presentation of people with mental
health concerns.This research examined, via
validated pre- and post questionnaires, how a
clinical placement of up to 6 weeks at a
metropolitan inpatient mental health facility
impacted exercise physiology, speech-
language pathology and dietetic students’
familiarity with and beliefs and attitudes
towards mental health, and perception of
their role in working with patients with mental
health problems.
Results indicated that students’ beliefs and
attitudes towards and understanding of
mental health conditions positively changed
following this clinical placement experience.
All students (n = 26) demonstrated a
statistically significant change (
p
= 0.03) in
their familiarity with mental illness, and
showed a decrease in negative, stigmatising
beliefs and attitudes. Such placement
experiences may assist in: (a) improving
students’ familiarity with and understanding
of mental health, (b) shaping initially fearful or
dismissive attitudes towards more positive,
person-centred views, and (c) facilitating
awareness of potential professional roles in
caring for patients with a mental illness and
supporting their needs as individuals and
members of the community.
M
ental illness is a major health problem worldwide.
Almost half of Australians will experience a
mental illness in their lifetime (Australian Bureau
of Statistics [ABS], 2009). In Australia, one in five individuals
aged 16–85 experience a mental illness in any one year
(AIHW, 2014). The most common mental illnesses are
depressive, anxiety and substance use disorders, often
co-occurring. Of the 20% of Australians with a mental
Examining beliefs and attitudes
of allied health students
towards mental health
Outcomes of a clinical placement
Natalie Alborés, Lyndal Sheepway, and Clare Delany