Kontakt 2020, 22(1):54-59 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2019.047

Stigmatization and attitudes toward mental health disorders among adolescents in SlovakiaSocial Sciences in Health - Original article

Zuzana Škodová1,*, Ivana Polčová2
1 Comenius University, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Department of Midwifery, Martin, Slovak Republic
2 Comenius University, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Martin, Slovak Republic

Introduction: Mental health is an important component of overall health. Adolescence is one of the critical life periods for the development of mental illness. Quality of life among patients with mental health problems is significantly affected by stigmatization. This study aims to explore the perception and attitudes toward mental health disorders among adolescents in Slovakia.

Methods: The Mental Illness Stigma Scale was used for assessing the attitudes related to mental illness. The questionnaire was administered to 550 students at six high schools in Slovakia. The average age of respondents was 17.45 ± 0.95 (60.18% females). ANOVA, Student's t-test, and correlational analysis were used for statistical analysis.

Results: In particular, higher levels of stigmatizing attitudes towards mental illness were found in the areas of Professional efficacy, Treatability and Recovery, as well as Poor Hygiene. There were no significant socio-demographic differences in the stigmatization attitudes, with the exception of the Poor Hygiene subscale, with male respondents scoring higher (t = -3.71, p ≤ 0.001).

Conclusion: Our results indicate a relatively high prevalence of negative attitudes toward professional efficacy of mental health professionals and toward possibilities of effective treatment of mental health disorders among high school students. An educational intervention or campaign to reduce stigma toward mental illnesses and improve knowledge targeted at this specific age group would be beneficial.

Keywords: Adolescents; Mental disorders; Mental health; Prevention; Stigmatization

Received: July 24, 2019; Accepted: September 13, 2019; Prepublished online: December 17, 2019; Published: February 28, 2020  Show citation

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Škodová Z, Polčová I. Stigmatization and attitudes toward mental health disorders among adolescents in Slovakia. Kontakt. 2020;22(1):54-59. doi: 10.32725/kont.2019.047.
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