REDUCING MENTAL HEALTH STIGMA IN FUTURE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS THROUGH INDIAN CINEMA: AN INITIAL PROTOCOL

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the impact of various anti-stigma programs on medical undergraduates at the College of Medicine and Health, Oman.

Objectives: To assess changes in attitudes toward mental illness among first-year medical students using a pre-test/post-test design. To evaluate the role of Indian cinema as a medium in reducing mental health stigma.

Methods: First-year medical students will be divided into four groups Control group will have no intervention. Video group will be exposed to video-based interventions. Group discussion group will be engaged in structured discussions. Workshop group will participate in interactive workshops. Each group will complete the Mental Illness: Clinician’s Attitude Scale (MICA-2), a validated self-administered tool designed to assess attitudes toward mental illness.

Results and Conclusion

Though the full-scale study and its results will be discussed in the near future. Early intervention in first-year medical students can serve as a model for addressing mental health stigma on a larger scale. By integrating effective anti-stigma programs into medical education, we may foster more positive attitudes toward mental illness among future healthcare professionals.