OBJECTIVE: In order to gain a broader view about the process of recruitment, we decided to compare and analyze the differences between the attitudes and views of Spanish and U.S. medical students towards psychiatry. METHODS: The opinions of 151 students who had completed psychiatry at the end of their fourth year were sought on the basis of their responses to a 33-item questionnaire, using a cross sectional design. RESULTS: Although in general, Spanish students showed a positive attitude towards psychiatry, the opinion about certain aspects like the biopsychosocial concept of illness, salary, social pressure and respect from nonpsychiatry staff were different from U.S. students' opinions. CONCLUSION: These opinions may have influenced the 6% of Spanish students who chose psychiatry as a possible specialty, somewhat higher than the 4.5% of U.S. students.
OBJECTIVE: In order to gain a broader view about the process of recruitment, we decided to compare and analyze the differences between the attitudes and views of Spanish and U.S. medical students towards psychiatry. METHODS: The opinions of 151 students who had completed psychiatry at the end of their fourth year were sought on the basis of their responses to a 33-item questionnaire, using a cross sectional design. RESULTS: Although in general, Spanish students showed a positive attitude towards psychiatry, the opinion about certain aspects like the biopsychosocial concept of illness, salary, social pressure and respect from nonpsychiatry staff were different from U.S. students' opinions. CONCLUSION: These opinions may have influenced the 6% of Spanish students who chose psychiatry as a possible specialty, somewhat higher than the 4.5% of U.S. students.
Authors: Norman Sartorius; Wolfgang Gaebel; Helen-Rose Cleveland; Heather Stuart; Tsuyoshi Akiyama; Julio Arboleda-Flórez; Anja E Baumann; Oye Gureje; Miguel R Jorge; Marianne Kastrup; Yuriko Suzuki; Allan Tasman Journal: World Psychiatry Date: 2010-10 Impact factor: 49.548