Does pop-culture affect perception of medical procedures? Report on knowledge and attitude towards electroconvulsive therapy among Polish students

Abstract

Aim. The aim of the study was to investigate the general knowledge and attitudes towards ECT among Polish students, including students of medical faculties. Furthermore, the influence of pop-culture on society's opinion about ECT was investigated. Methods. For this purpose, 1,370 students have been examined with the usage of the author's questionnaire, which consisted of questions about socio-demographic data, detailed questions about ECT as well as questions about their opinion about influence of pop-culture on the reception of this procedure. The respondents were divided into four subgroups depending on the faculty of their studies: human sciences, technical, medical and health sciences. Results. The results show that the knowledge about ECT among Polish students is on a very low level, as in many cases the therapy is considered as painful, ineffective or even illegal. Conclusions. The influence of the media, especially film industry, on creating a negative opinion on the subject of ECT is significant. Furthermore, many respondents obtain their knowledge about this procedure from television or from the Internet, where the information is often incorrect.