Description of psychiatric nursing students' stereotypical beliefs

The aim of the study was to describe psychiatric nursing students' stereotypical beliefs associated with mental illness labels and the potential mediating effects of information provided from curriculum content and contact through clinical, focusing on three mental illness labels; schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar mood disorder. Results suggested greater negative stereotypical beliefs associated with the schizophrenia label. The bipolar mood disorder label was the least associated with negative stereotypical beliefs. Information given during the initial teaching block and contact during the clinical placement period resulted in a slight reduction of negative stereotypical beliefs associated with the schizophrenic label. In contrast negative stereotypical beliefs associated with the bipolar mood disorder label were increased after information and contact.