Table 1.
Negative Stereotypes About Mentally Ill People by Professional Groups and the General Public: Mean Values on the Negative Stereotypes Scale (95% CI)
| Professional Group | Negative Stereotypesa |
| Psychiatrists (n = 201) | 3.49 (3.45–3.54)b |
| Psychologists (n = 66) | 3.33 (3.26–3.41) |
| Nurses (n = 676) | 3.41 (3.38–3.43) |
| Other Therapistsc (n = 116) | 3.39 (3.34–3.45) |
| General Population (n = 253) | 3.38 (3.34–3.42) |
a
Mean value of 7 negative (eg, “dangerous”) and 3 positive (reverse scored, eg, “self-controlled”) items. A value over the midpoint 3 indicates that more negative—and less positive—attributes are ascribed to people with mental illness than to other people.
b
Psychiatrists significantly held more negative stereotypes than each other group (p < .05).
c
Other therapists include vocational workers, social workers, and physiotherapists.