Health professionals' attitudes towards breastfeeding among women with schizophrenia: Greek version of a specific rating scale.

Breastfeeding is the optimal feeding mode for the mother and her child. The pregnancy rates of mothers with schizophrenia do not differ significantly from those of the general population. However, research on breastfeeding among women with schizophrenia is extremely limited. The current study aims to explore the health professionals' attitudes towards breastfeeding among women with schizophrenia in Greece and to examine the validity and reliability of the Greek version of a specific rating scale for further research on attitudes towards breastfeeding among women with schizophrenia. This study had a cross-sectional descriptive design and the participants were health professionals working closely with women/mothers at different health care settings in Athens (health visitors, midwives, nurses working in mental health care). Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire on knowledge and attitudes regarding breastfeeding, knowledge, feelings and attitudes regarding schizophrenia, professional guidance for women with schizophrenia about breastfeeding; and personal and professional attitudes towards breastfeeding among women with schizophrenia. The results of the study showed that health care professionals of different disciplines seemed to have similar positive attitudes towards breastfeeding among women with schizophrenia. Professionals that had attended breastfeeding seminars had significantly greater scores on both knowledge of breastfeeding and attitudes towards breastfeeding. Greater scores on attitudes towards women with schizophrenia and attitudes towards breastfeeding among women with schizophrenia were found in those that had previous contact with a person with schizophrenia. Furthermore, greater scores on attitudes towards women with schizophrenia imporwere found in those that have provided consultation to a woman with schizophrenia on breastfeeding issues. The results suggest that this tool is a reliable and valid measure. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that there was a discriminative capacity among items. The five derived factors were knowledge of breastfeeding, attitudes towards breastfeeding, knowledge of schizophrenia, attitudes towards women with schizophrenia, attitudes towards breastfeeding among women with schizophrenia. Further research is needed among medical doctors and other mental health professionals who are involved in the care of women with schizophrenia. In addition, the experiences and the needs of mothers with schizophrenia should be explored in order to gain useful information for practice. The results of the current and future studies are expected to inform strategic planning.

Validation of the Youth Efficacy/Empowerment Scale - Mental Health Finnish version.

Αdolescents face mental health problems and still their mental health needs are often neglected. Empowerment provides adolescents with the skills to impact their own lives and communities in general. The aim of the study is to examine the validity and reliability of the Finnish version of the Youth Efficacy/Empowerment Scale - Mental Health (YES-MH). Data was collected through an online questionnaire from pupils aged 12-17 years in Western Finland, comprised of the following instruments; the YES-MH, the Goodman's the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Exploratory factor analysis was carried out to evaluate construct validity and disclose underlying structures which yielded the following subscales: Self, Services, System. The internal consistency of subscales was analyzed with Cronbach's α. Construct validity was further investigated by computing the Pearson's correlations coefficients between the subscales. Furthermore, correlations with SDQ and mental well-being dimensions were explored as measures of convergent validity. In the final model all items the Youth Efficacy/ Empowerment Scale - Mental Health were entered into the factor analysis. All factor loadings were more than 0.40, ranging from 0.63 to 0.89. All the scales exceeded the minimum reliability standard of 0.70 and all corrected item-total correlations were high. All the YES-MH subscales were significantly and positively correlated each other with correlations coefficients ranging from medium to high. Correlations of Mental Well-being score with Self and Services subscales were significant. Moreover, Self subscale was significantly correlated with all SDQ dimensions. Services subscale was significantly correlated with Emotional symptoms and total SDQ score, while System subscale was significantly correlated with Conduct problems. The exploratory factor analysis showed a clear factor structure and the results suggest that the YES-MH is a reliable scale for assessing empowerment among young people. The YES-MH can be useful for health professionals not only as an assessment tool but also when they need to evaluate mental health interventions and examine empowerment as an outcome. However, further research can provide insights for the use of the scale in specific adolescent target groups and among different ethnic groups as well.

The impact of an educational mental health intervention on adolescents' perceptions of mental illness.

Nowadays, in many countries, mental health care is primarily community based. Community perceptions of mental illness are an essential issue for the quality of life of people with mental health problems and the promotion of mental health in general. The aim of this study was to explore adolescents' perceptions of mental illness and to examine the extent to which those perceptions changed after an educational mental health intervention. The data were collected twice, before and after the educational mental health intervention. Fifty-nine pupils from two Greek secondary schools were individually interviewed, and data were analyzed by inductive content analysis. The findings show that adolescents can provide a rich description of mental illness in a multidimensional way. After the intervention, they provide different descriptions, identify various forms of mental illness and express opinions on what mentally ill people need and how they should be treated. It is concluded that mental health educational interventions in schools can be effective in changing adolescents' perceptions towards mental illness.

Educational interventions in secondary education aiming to affect pupils' attitudes towards mental illness: a review of the literature.

Dealing with persons who have mental health problems is an issue that many people are likely to face with, whether they are health professionals or not. Positive attitudes towards people with mental illness play a major factor in their quality of life and social inclusion. Since adolescents will become active adult members of their communities in the near future, this paper reviews educational interventions in secondary education and how they aim to affect adolescent attitudes towards mental illness. Twelve studies conducted on the relevant issue have been identified. The results indicate a positive impact on attitudes towards mental illness and improvements in the knowledge of mental health and illness among secondary school pupils. However, the limited number of studies highlights the need for further research.