Attitudes and views on psychiatry: a comparison between Spanish and U.S. medical students

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.

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.

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.

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.