European Psychiatry - Volume 41 - April 2017

743 / 916

25th European Congress of Psychiatry / European Psychiatry 41S (2017) S710–S771 S739
EV1029
Stigma and attitudes towards mental
illness: Gender differences in a sample
of Italian medical students
M. Pascucci ∗, M. La Montagna , D. Di Sabatino , E. Stella ,
R. Nicastro , P. Grandinetti , R. Testa , P. Parente , L. Janiri ,
G. Pozzi , G. Piemontese , A. Ventriglio , A. Bellomo
1 Institute of Psychiatry, University of Foggia, Department of Clinical
and Experimental Medicine, Foggia, Italy
2 Azienda Sanitaria Locale della Provincia di Foggia, Dipartimento di
Salute Mentale, Foggia, Italy
3 AUSL Modena, Dipartimento di Salute Mentale, Modena, Italy
4 Institute of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Catholic University
of the Sacred Heart, Department of Neuroscience, Rome, Italy
5 Section of Hygiene, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart,
Department of Public Health, Rome, Italy
∗ Corresponding author.
Introduction stigma inmental illness is characterized by discrim-
ination towards people affected by mental disorder. Consequence
of the paradigm “stigma-injury-discrimination” is the social exclu-
sion of these patients and the denial of their rights. Medical
students, those who should be important reference points for psy-
chiatric patients, are instead one of the categories that contribute
to their stigmatization.
Objectives To study the attitudes of medical students towards
psychiatric patients.
Aims The present study analyzes gender differences in a sample
of Italian medical students towards mental illness.
Methods A total of 339 Italian medical students completed a
cross-sectional survey, in Rome and Foggia (Italy). We used the
Italian version of Community Attitude towards the Mentally Ill test
(CAMI) to analyze the students’ attitudes.
Results There is a substantial difference among the attitudes
towards mental disorders in female andmale students. Female stu-
dents have obtained less stigmatizing results in 9 of the CAMI test
items (P < 0.05), in Benevolence (P = 0.001) and Social Restrictive-
ness subscales (P = 0.043) and in the total score (P= 0.013).
Conclusions These results are in line with those achieved in
scientific literature, confirming that women tend to show more
humanitarian attitude towards the mentally ill. Even in the orig-
inal article of the validation of the CAMI test, the authors found
better attitudes in women in all subscales, with the exception of
Social Restrictiveness subscale (that in our analysis also correlates
with the female gender).
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
EV1030
Correlations between medical
students’ specialty choice and
different attitudes towards mental
illness
M. Pascucci ∗, E. Stella , M. La Montagna , D. Di Sabatino ,
R. Nicastro , P. Grandinetti , R. Testa , P. Parente , L. Janiri ,
G. Pozzi , A. Ventriglio , A. Bellomo
1 Institute of Psychiatry, University of Foggia, Department of Clinical
and Experimental Medicine, Foggia, Italy
2 Azienda Sanitaria Locale della Provincia di Foggia, Dipartimento di
Salute Mentale, San Severo, Italy
3 AUSL Modena, Dipartimento di Salute Mentale, Modena, Italy
4 Institute of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Catholic University
of the Sacred Heart, Department of Neuroscience, Rome, Italy
5 Section of Hygiene, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart,
Department of Public Health, Rome, Italy
∗ Corresponding author.
Introduction Discrimination and stigmatization cause an impor-
tant burden for people suffering from psychiatric disorders. The
medical doctors, those who should be important reference points
for psychiatric patients, are instead one of the categories that con-
tribute to their stigmatization.
Objectives It is extremely important to study and to know the
attitudes of undergraduate medical students towards psychiatric
disorders, since these individuals will be involved in the care of
these patients throughout their careers.
Aims The present study analyzes the attitudes of a group of Italian
medical students towards mental illness, highlighting the differ-
ences between the students who would choose surgical specialties
from those who prefer medical ones.
Methods A total of 339 medical students of different medical
schools, in Rome and Foggia (Italy), completed a cross-sectional
survey. The Italian version of community attitude towards themen-
tally Ill test (CAMI) was used to evaluate the students’ attitudes.
Results The students that would choose medical specialties
reported less stigmatizing responses in 11 CAMI items (including
five items with P < 0.01), in benevolence and community men-
tal health ideology subscales (P = 0.003) and in the total score
(P = 0.003).
Conclusions It is evident that the students that prefer the surgical
specialties have more stigmatizing attitudes towards psychiatric
patients. Negative feedbacks on Psychiatry from non-psychiatrist
colleagues may have a fundamental role in stigmatizing mental
disorders.
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
EV1031
Differences in empathy in Italian
university students: Are medical
students more or less empathetic?
M. Pascucci ∗ Di Sabatino tella La Montagna
R. Nicastro randinetti Testa arente Pozzi
L. Janiri Ventriglio ellomo
1 Institute of Psychiatry, University of Foggia, Department of Clinical
and Experimental Medicine, Foggia, Italy
2 Azienda Sanitaria Locale della Provincia di Foggia, Dipartimento di
Salute Mentale, Foggia, Italy
3 AUSL Modena, Dipartimento di Salute Mentale, Modena, Italy
4 Institute of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, Catholic University
of the Sacred Heart, Department of Neuroscience, Rome, Italy
5 Section of Hygiene, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart,
Department of Public Health, Rome, Italy
∗ Corresponding author.
Introduction Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what
another person is experiencing. It is an important quality in the
medical profession, since it is fundamental in interpersonal rela-
tionships with patients. Nevertheless, many studies have found
that over time medical students (MS) become less empathic and
more detached from patients.
Objectives and aims To determine MS loss of empathy and to
study the differences in empathy between MS and other university
students who are not involved in healthcare.
Methods We enrolled 244 MS (120 of the 1st year and 124 of
the last year) and 125 other university students not involved in
healthcare, in different universities in Rome and Foggia (Italy). They
anonymously and voluntarily completed a socio-demographic
questionnaire and Baron Cohen’s empathy quotient test (EQ).
Results We found no differences regarding EQ total score
between MS and other students, however there are few differences
considering individual EQ items. In particular, MS really like tak-
ing care of others (P = 0.005) and they are sometimes considered to