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Nurses Teaching Prison Officers: A Workshop to Reduce the Stigmatization of Prison Inmates With Mental Illness
Author(s) -
Melnikov Semyon,
ElyanAntar Tamar,
Schor Razia,
KigliShemesh Ronit,
Kagan Ilya
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
perspectives in psychiatric care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.538
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1744-6163
pISSN - 0031-5990
DOI - 10.1111/ppc.12165
Subject(s) - prison , mental illness , stigma (botany) , psychology , mental health , context (archaeology) , observational study , cognition , psychiatry , clinical psychology , nursing , medicine , paleontology , criminology , pathology , biology
PURPOSE This report describes and evaluates the effectiveness of a nurse‐led workshop designed to improve correctional officers' stigmatizing attitude toward inmates with mental illness. DESIGN AND METHODS Eighty‐three prison officers attended a 6‐day workshop targeting the cognitive, psychoeducational, and behavioral components of publicly expressed stigma, and combining theoretical learning, observational experience on psychiatric wards, frontal lectures, case reviews, discussions, peer supervision, and simulations. The workshop's impact was measured systematically using a structured self‐administered questionnaire examining cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of stigmatization. FINDINGS The workshop significantly increased perceived knowledge and decreased stigmatizing attitudes. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE The evaluation presented here demonstrates a less‐known aspect of the possible contribution of expert psychiatric nurses to mental health education in a wider context.