Mental Illness in mass media and its relationship with nursing students attitude towards mental illness : a descriptive comparative study

Abstract EN

Background: The way mental illness is portrayed and reported in the media is incredibly powerful in educating and influencing the public.

Aim: This research aimed at assessing mental illness portrayal in the Egyptian media from the perspectives of Nursing students and its relationship with their attitudes.

Method: A total of 351 Nursing Faculty students were participated in the study, data were collected using Image of Media and Knowledge about Mental Illness Questionnaire sheetband Community Attitude towards Mentally 111 Scale.

Results: Mental image in Egyptian media was negative as reported by the subjects.

Students’ attitudes were mainly neutral and affected by the media.

Conclusion: The image of mental illness in the Egyptian media still communicating misconceptions about mentally ill, most of the students perceived it as negative and unfortunately, it affected them.