Attitudes Towards Mental Patients

A study of attitudes towards mental patients was made using a questionnaire developed by Lehtinen and Väisänen. Five hundred and fourteen persons from different parts of Finland filled in the questionnaire. The attitudes were generally positive, although, as in other studies, the attitudes of those older and less educated were more negative compared with the other groups. This result was interpreted as a generational effect, which will vanish as the educational level of the population increases. The questionnaire also included questions about the attitudes and behaviour of 'other people'. The attitudes of 'other people' were thought to be very negative compared with one's own attitudes.