JCPSLP vol 19 no 3 2017 low res. pdf

19 / 64

JCPSLP Volume 19, Number 3 2017 133
Results
Familiarity with mental illness
When analysed collectively as a single group, the students
overall (n = 26) demonstrated a statistically significant
increase (p = 0.03) in their familiarity with mental illness as
ascertained by the Level of Familiarity Survey (Michaels &
Corrigan, 2013). Despite an upward trend in familiarity
scores for all disciplines, only the change for DTn students
was statistically significant. The change for SLP students
was approaching statistical significance. The mean
familiarity scores for each discipline both pre- and post-
placement are shown in Table 1.
• Error Choice Test (ECT) – examining understanding of
mental illness and stigmatising beliefs (Cooper, Corrigan,
& Watson, 2003; Michaels & Corrigan, 2013)
• Attribution Questionnaire (AQ-27) (Corrigan, Edwards, et
al., 2001) – examining stigmatising beliefs and attitudes
towards mental health
The Level Of Familiarity Survey (LOF) (Corrigan, Edwards,
et al., 2001; Michaels & Corrigan, 2013) is an 11-item
survey in which responses are coded for the level of
intimacy and familiarly an individual has with mental illness:
11 = indicates the most familiarity, 7 = medium familiarity, 1
= little to no familiarity. Respondents select all statements
that reflect their experience and then summed scores are
used to generate a single familiarity score. The higher the
score, the higher the level of familiarity with mental illness.
The Error Choice Test (ECT) (Cooper et al., 2003) is a
14-item survey utilising true/false statements that was
developed to assess public stigma towards mental illness
without drawing attention to the intent of the measure. This
test was designed to obtain a more accurate self-report of
stigmatising attitudes by being presented in the guise of
a knowledge test. It is not, however, a test of knowledge
about mental health. Each answer is given a score of 1
(more biased/stigmatising response) or 0 (less biased/
stigmatising response). Thus, a higher score indicates
greater stigmatising beliefs and attitudes (Cooper et al.,
2003).
The Attribution Questionnaire Short Form (AQ-27)
(Corrigan, Edwards, et al., 2001) is a 27-item self-report
survey which assesses nine domains of commonly
stereotyped responses towards an individual with mental
illness: responsibility (“people with mental illness can control
their symptoms and are responsible for having the illness”),
pity (“people with mental illness are overtaken by their own
disorder and therefore deserve concern and pity”), anger
(“people with mental illness are blamed for having the illness
and provoke wrath and rage”), dangerousness (“people
with mental illness are not safe”), fear (“people with mental
illness are dangerous”), help (“people with mental illness
need assistance”), coercion (“people with mental illness
have to participate in treatment management”), segregation
(“people with mental illness are sent to institutions located
far from the community”), and avoidance (“patients with
mental illness do not live in society”). Items are presented
on a 9-point Likert scale and subscale scores are
calculated by summing the items corresponding to that
subscale. A total score may also be calculated. Higher
scores represent greater endorsement of the corresponding
attitude or belief. Corrigan et al. (2003) have associated
some of these constructs with discriminative attitudes
(responsibility, dangerousness, fear, anger, coercion,
segregation, and avoidance) and others with attitudes of
closeness and assistance (help and pity).
Data analysis
For each measure, scores were averaged within each
discipline and then across all three disciplines and these
averages compared pre- and post-placement. It is
recognised that this method limits the specificity of the
results at an individual level, but for this study cohort level
change was the focus. Paired t-tests were conducted on
the ECT and LOF survey results using IBM SPSS Statistics
for Windows (23.0) to determine the degree of change that
occurred between measurement time points. A confidence
level of 95% was adopted. Descriptive analysis of AQ27
data was carried out.
Table 1. Familiarity with mental illness pre- and
post-placement
Average
familiarity
score (Pre)
Average
familiarity
score (Post)
Statistically
significant
change
EP (n = 10) 22.2 27.2 No (p = .223)
SLP (n = 10) 18.6 34.9 No (p = .055)
DTn (n = 6) 13.3 26.0 Yes (p = .00)
All disciplines
(n = 26)
16.7 29.8 Yes (p = .03)
Beliefs and attitudes about mental health
Error Choice Test
The Error Choice Test measures understanding of and
public stigma towards mental illness, in the guise of a
knowledge test. There were positive change in scores on
this measure across all three disciplines collectively from
pre- to post-placement indicating improvement of
stigmatising beliefs and attitudes; however, the degree of
change did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.83, SD =
2.74). When disciplines were analysed separately, students
in the discipline of dietetics demonstrated a positive change
in their attitudes overall, whereas students from exercise
physiology and speech-language pathology demonstrated
a very slight negative change, reflecting a trend towards
more stigmatising attitudes. Again, none of these changes
reached statistical significance. Findings for each discipline
separately and then for all three disciplines collectively are
summarised in Table 2.
Table 2. Changes in understanding and public
stigma toward mental health pre- and post-
placement (Error Choice Test)
Discipline Average
score (Pre)
Average
score (Post)
Statistically
EP (n = 10) 6.8 6.9 No (p = .90;
SD = 2.68)
SLP (n = 10) 7.7 8.3 No (p = .54;
SD = 3.0)
DTn (n = 6) 6.6 5 No (p = .10;
SD = 2.74)
All disciplines
(n = 26)
7.1 7.0 No (p = .83;
SD = 2.74)