Pradyumna1 , Balasubrahmanya K. R.2 , Sudharani P. Naik3 , Shishirkumar C. Naik4
BACKGROUND Mental health is often neglected by medical professionals. Negative attitudes towards mental illness and the field of psychiatry are widespread in the medical fraternity. We wanted to compare the different teaching methods and their effectiveness in changing the attitude of students towards the field of psychiatry, assess the preferences of the students regarding teaching methods and evaluate their association with the changes in attitude towards psychiatry. METHODS This study is a quasi-experimental study conducted from February 2019 to March 2019 and targeted 44 students of 2nd year MBBS posted in the Department of Psychiatry, Kanachur Institute of Medical Sciences. Two batches of students were assessed at baseline using the Attitude to Psychiatry scale (ATP-30). The batches were then divided into a control and an experimental group. The control group was taught using small group lectures, whereas the experimental group was taught using active learning methods. At the end of 1 week, the ATP-30 and a feedback questionnaire was administered to both groups. RESULTS The experimental group had significantly higher scores compared to baseline whereas the control group scored slightly lesser. Statistically significant difference in the feedback scores was found between the two groups, with the experimental group giving a more positive feedback regarding the teaching method compared to the control group. A statistically significant positive correlation was detected between the mean total feedback score and the change in attitude towards psychiatry as per the overall score. CONCLUSIONS Active teaching methods brought about a positive change in the attitude of the students towards psychiatry. A positive feedback about active learning was seen and a positive correlation was found between the feedback scores and the change in attitude. Preferences of the students and their reaction to the teaching methods play a role in modifying the attitude towards psychiatry and mental illness. However, the positive change in attitude may be transient and needs to be monitored over a longer duration to observe if the change in attitude is sustained.
