European Psychiatry - Volume 33 - March 2016

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24th European Congress of Psychiatry / European Psychiatry 33S (2016) S116–S348 S259
personally known psychiatric patients favors a less stigmatizing
attitude towards them. Those who have not had this experience,
have a more hostile and intolerant vision of mental illness, and
consider psychiatric patients as inferior subjects that require coer-
cive attitudes and that would be better to avoid because socially
dangerous.
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
EW414
Differences in attitudes towards
mental illness and psychiatry among
medical students, before and after the
academic course of psychiatry
M. Pascucci ∗, M. La Montagna , E. Stella , A. De Angelis ,
P. Parente , V. Di Nunzio , A. Ventriglio , L. Janiri , G. Pozzi ,
A. Bellomo
1 University of Foggia, Institute of Psychiatry, Foggia, Italy
2 Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Department of Psychiatry,
Rome, Italy
3 Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Institute of Hygiene and
Public Health, Rome, Italy
∗ Corresponding author.
Background Stigma towards mental illness and psychiatry have
a major impact on psychiatric patients’ quality of life; in particular,
prejudicial beliefs make it more difficult for future doctors to send
patients to mental health services, leading to a delay of necessary
care.
Aims Our aim is to evaluate the stigma towards mental illness
and psychiatry, in a sample of Italian medical students. We stud-
ied the differences between the first-year students who have not
attended the academic course in psychiatry, compared to the senior
students who have attended the psychiatric lectures.
Methods We tested 113 medical students, using the following
questionnaires:
– Attitudes Towards Psychiatry (ATP 30);
– Community Attitudes Towards Mental Ill (CAMI);
– Perceived Discrimination Devaluation Scale (PDD), to assess the
discrimination towards mental illness perceived in society;
– Baron-Cohen’s Empathy Quotient (EQ), to measure empathy.
Results Among the 113 students, 46 have already attended the
academic course of psychiatry and CAMI scores were less stigma-
tizing as total score (P = 0.014) and in authoritarianism subscale
(P = 0.049), social restriction (P = 0.022) and ideology of mental
health in the community (P = 0.017). However, therewere no statis-
tically significant differences in empathy, perceived discrimination
in the society and stigmatization of psychiatry.
Conclusions The 67 studentswhohave not attended the academic
course of psychiatry are more stigmatizing, considering psychiatric
patients as inferior people that require coercive attitudes, socially
dangerous and that should be treated faraway from the commu-
nity. Studying psychiatry is therefore useful to reduce, in the future
doctors, these prejudices toward mentally ill patients.
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
EW415
Physical exercise and students’ mental
health
M. Theodoratou ∗, I. Dritsas , M. Saltou , V. Dimas ,
A. Spyropoulos , E. Nikolopoulou , V. Bekos , P. Kloni ,
A. Psychogioy , O. Valsami
1 Technological Institute of Western Greece, Social Work, Patras,
Greece
2 Technological Institute of Western Greece, School of Administration
and Economy, Patras, Greece
3 Karamandaneion Hospitak, Pediatrics, Patras, Greece
∗ Corresponding author.
Introduction Studies have shown that sport participation is con-
nected with a more positive self-image and higher self-esteem
in adolescents (Bowkers, 2006, Kirkcaldy et al., 2002), whereas
sedentary behavior is associated with negative mental health char-
acteristics (Primack et al., 2009).
Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate whether phys-
ical activity influences adolescents and young people’s emotions,
self-esteem and generally mental health.
Material Questionnaires were redacted by the research team
investigating participants’ habits, emotions and health benefits
concerning physical activities.
Method Questionnaires were administered to 150 adolescents,
aged 18–20 years old in Technological Educational Institutes, col-
leges and fitness centers in Patras, Southern Greece during 2015’s
spring.
Results Eighty-seven percent of the respondents worked out in
fitness centers or in natural environment. Most of them answered
that exercise contributed to revitalization and euphoria feelings
(63%), stress relief (78%), better self-image, and better health (49%).
According to 63% of the adolescents, exercise improved their school
performance and 61% of them felt that exercise affected positively
mental health.
Conclusions Present study’s results underline physical activities’
benefits in students’ mental health, self-esteem, feelings and school
performance being in line with other studies’ results [Biddle et
Asare (2011), Ekeland et al. (2005), Brown et al. (2013)]. Restrictions
refer mainly to small size sample.
Disclosure of interest The authors have not supplied their decla-
ration of competing interest.
Further reading
Biddle, SJ, Asare, M. Physical activity and mental health in chil-
dren and adolescents: a review of reviews. Br J Sports Med
2011;45:886–95.
Kirkcaldy, BD, Shephard, RJ, Siefen, RG. The relationship between
physical activity and self-image and problem behaviour
among adolescents. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatric Epidemiol
2002;37(11):544–50.
EW416
Effects of implicit affect on emotional
coping and school adjustment: A
short-term longitudinal study with a
school-based universal prevention
program for enhancing emotional
abilities
K. Uchida ∗, T. Yokoshima , K. Yamasaki
1 Naruto University of Education, Department of Human
Development, Naruto, Japan
2 Naruto University of Education, Center for the Science of Prevention
Education, Naruto, Japan
∗ Corresponding author.
In recent years, affect and emotions are hot research topics in the
domains of psychology and brain science. Moreover, an increasing
number of studies have started to investigate the effects of implicit
affect on health and adjustment. The purpose of this study was to
examine the effects of implicit affect on explicit emotional coping
with others’ emotions and school adjustment in children.
Methods Participants were 5th- and 6th-grade children in two
public elementary schools in Japan. The final samples were fifty-six
children (25 boys and 31 girls). Participants completed a bat-
tery of three questionnaires just before (T1) and after (T2) an