Faculty Perceptions of University Students with Psychiatric Disabilities

Information sources such as professional training, the media, personal relationships, and one's own experience may impact perceptions about people with psychiatric disabilities (PDs). The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between information sources and university faculty members' perceptions of working with university students who have PDs. Specific types of personal experience were then analyzed: having a family member, friend, and student with a PD, and having a PD oneself. Faculty who had a friend or a student with a PD had more positive perceptions of university students with PDs than faculty who had neither of these experiences.