RESUMO
Introduction: Mental health-related stigma is a barrier to treatment and recovery for serious mental illnesses (SMIs). Educational training programs demonstrate positive changes in health professional students' attitudes and stigma toward SMI; however, student pharmacists have minimal opportunity to directly engage with the SMI population. This study aims to assess and compare student pharmacists' stigma related to SMI before and after participating in a pilot series of direct-contact workshop experiences. Methods: The 15-item Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers survey was administered to student pharmacists before and after the workshop experiences to measure stigma toward SMI. Five 2-hour workshops were provided to members of a local nonprofit organization serving people with SMI by student pharmacist volunteers detailing a health and wellness topic. The postworkshop survey included free text responses to obtain student feedback. Results: Twenty-four complete preworkshop surveys were obtained, and most of them had positive attitudes and beliefs at baseline. Thirteen postworkshop surveys were obtained from student pharmacists who participated in a workshop event, and 9 were completed by student pharmacists who did not participate in a workshop event, which were used as a comparator group. Stigma decreased after participating in a workshop event, and those who participated demonstrated a lower degree of stigma versus the comparator group. Discussion: Direct-contact experiences allow student pharmacists to interact with people with SMI earlier in their training and help reduce stigma toward those with psychiatric disorders. Future research is needed to identify large-scale changes in pharmacy student stigma.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Mental health concerns are increasing exponentially within the college student population. Successfully coping with the stress of adjusting to college can be difficult particularly for students majoring in science- and health-related disciplines like pharmacy. This study aimed to understand how well-being is integrated and could be improved upon within the learning environment from the students' perspective. METHODS: Several college of pharmacy faculty collaborated with campus wellness staff through an initiative that aimed to integrate mental health and well-being strategies into the learning environment. At the end of each semester, pharmacy students responded to open-ended questions meant to evaluate their perspectives of the professor participating in the well-being program. Grounded theory was used to code the responses. RESULTS: Four themes emerged from the student responses: (1) Instruct in a creative, consistent, and clear manner; (2) Be genuine; (3) Establish a welcoming environment; and (4) Invest in students. Pharmacy students experienced their classrooms as more than just a place to learn class material but as an environment that valued the students as people. CONCLUSIONS: The study highlights the role of faculty as educators of classroom material and of including practices that facilitate a sense of connectedness and caring within the classroom.
