Children's Attitudes toward Mental Illness as Assessed by the Opinions about Mental Illness Scale
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13653759 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marc Franchot Weiss (Illinois Institute of Technology, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1985 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 251-258 |
| Publication date | 1985-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychological Reports (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-2941 • E-ISSN: 1558-691X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.2466/pr0.1985.57.1.251 |
| PMID | 4048339 |
| OpenAlex | W2025637394 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 12 |
Research on attitudes toward mental illness held by the public, by mental health professionals and personnel, and by psychiatric patients and their families is substantial. Little attention has been given to children's attitudes toward mental illness and the mentally ill, so this exploratory-descriptive study examined the developmental trends of children's attitudes toward the mentally ill. An adaptation of the Opinions About Mental Illness Scale was given to 512 elementary school age children who were placed in Grades 2, 4, 6, and 8. It was determined that with increasing grade/age children took a less authoritarian attitude toward the mentally ill and viewed mentally ill persons as more like themselves. Children rook an increasingly parernalistic view of the mentally ill, were less likely to see mental illness as an illness like any other, perceived mental patients as less of a threat to society and needing fewer restrictions. Finally, with increasing age/grade children perceived mental illness as less likely attributable to inadequate, deprived or interpersonal experiences. Results were discussed in terms of a relatively increased “positive attitude” and the relative acceptance and rejection of the mentally ill
Authoritarianism · Interpersonal communication · Mental health · Mental illness · Mentally ill · Psychiatry · Scale (ratio · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare · Psychology · Social Psychology
Public Attitudes Toward Mental Illness
Measuring Children's Strength of Response To Attitude Items
A Method for Assessing Racial Attitudes in Preschool Children
Opinions about mental illness
"Comment on "Your Life-Identification Card
The development of a community mental health ideology scale
Being Mentally Ill
| Citations per year | 0.13 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1986 - 2007 (22) |
| Highly cited | No |