Understanding variations in knowledge and attitudes of psychiatrists to psilocybin therapy is important for the collective discourse about the potential impact on clinical practice and public health in Ireland.

A 28-item questionnaire was designed based on previous studies and distributed to psychiatrists in Ireland via online mailing lists and at in-person academic events.

151 psychiatrists completed the questionnaire (73.3% were under 40 years of age, 76.0% were trainees, and 49.0% were female). In the total sample, 81.5% agreed that psilocybin therapy shows promise in the treatment of psychiatric disorders and 86.8% supported funding research, 86.8% would be willing to refer a patient if it was licensed and indicated, and 78.1% would consider the treatment for themselves, if indicated. Conversely, 6.6% agreed that psilocybin therapy was unsafe even under medical supervision, and 21.9% thought it was potentially addictive. 15.9% of the total sample reported at least one concern including, lack of robust evidence, long-term effectiveness, superiority to current interventions, potential harmful effects, cost and accessibility, and impartiality. Less than half of respondents felt knowledgeable (40.0%) and 9.9% felt adequately prepared to participate in psilocybin therapy. Consultant psychiatrists trended towards less optimism for a potential role in bipolar depression and emotionally unstable personality disorder compared to trainee psychiatrists.

Overall psychiatrists in Ireland held positive attitudes towards psilocybin therapy. However, there was a lack of knowledge evident. Addressing the knowledge gap and aligning with the best available evidence will be key if psychedelic therapy is to prevail in a clinical setting.

This scoping review aimed to systematically map and describe the existing evidence regarding the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health professionals with regard to plant-based diets during pregnancy and to highlight areas for further research.

Following a pre-registered protocol, online databases were searched using a comprehensive search string, in addition to selected grey literature sources, and reference lists of included studies. The studies were independently screened for eligibility by two authors, SM and JM. Data from all eligible studies were charted by the first author, and a narrative summary was performed.

Maternal health care services.

Ten studies were included for review, from New Zealand (n 2), Australia (n 2), Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Peru. Most of these studies were observational, employed various validated and non-validated survey instruments, interviews and one education intervention. Knowledge was the most frequently assessed outcome in the reviewed studies. Health professionals’ knowledge of plant-based nutrition in pregnancy was reported to be limited and frequently attributed to a lack of nutrition training. Participants’ personal dietary patterns and work specialisation appear to be closely associated with their knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding plant-based diets.

This review identified a significant research gap regarding health professionals’ practices in relation to plant-based diets during pregnancy. Additionally, this review has demonstrated the need for further research, awareness and practice protocols to promote high-quality care and education or professional development to address the prevalent lack of knowledge among this group.

Among important dimensions related to the use of coercive measures, professionals’ attitude towards coercion is of particular interest. Little is known about how experiences of violence in the workplace might influence these attitudes.

The present study aimed to investigate potential correlates of attitudes towards coercion, especially experiences of violence in the workplace.

Mental health professionals were contacted through an online survey to assess their attitudes towards coercion using the Staff Attitude to Coercion Scale (SACS). The three subscales of the SACS (critical, pragmatic and positive attitudes) were analysed in a multivariate multiple linear regression, using a set of covariates including experiences of violence in the workplace. We hypothesised that experience of violence in the workplace would correlate with less critical attitudes of staff members towards coercion.

A total of 423 professionals were included in the regression analysis. Age, professional category, feeling of insecurity, having witnessed or used coercion, and the emotional burden associated with coercive measures had a joint significant effect on the three SACS subscales. A feeling of insecurity, but not the experience of violence, was associated with a less critical, more positive appraisal of coercive measures. The emotional burden related to the use of coercion was associated with a more critical attitude.

The present results highlight the importance of considering staff members’ training and well-being regarding their feelings of insecurity when addressing attitudes towards coercion. The experience of patients should be integrated into staff training and coercion reduction programmes.

The research objectives were to evaluate factors that influence Canadian secondary school students’ milk and milk alternatives (MMA) consumption and to explore associations through age and gender lenses.

A qualitative design was used, consisting of semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation methods. Analysis was guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Deductive and inductive thematic analyses were used to generate themes, charting data based on attributes such as gender and age.

Interviews were held virtually or via telephone.

Participants were twenty-eight high school students from Ontario, Canada, diverse in terms of gender and age.

Both desirable and undesirable beliefs about the health outcomes of consuming MMA were commonly discussed. These included health benefits such as strong bones, muscular strength, and growth, and health consequences like unwanted skin conditions, weight gain, and diseases. While boys and girls associated MMA consumption with muscular strength, boys predominantly considered this favourable, while girls discussed outcomes like unwanted skin conditions and weight gain more often. Adolescents’ perspectives on taste/perceived enjoyment, environmentally friendly choices and animal welfare also influenced their MMA preferences. Parental influences were most cited among social factors, which appeared to be stronger during early adolescence. Factors involving cost, time and accessibility affected adolescents’ beliefs about how difficult it was to consume MMA.

Recommendations for shifting attitudes towards MMA are provided to address unfavourable beliefs towards these products. Interventions to increase MMA consumption among adolescents should include parents and address cost barriers.

Tending to patients with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a challenging task for clinicians due to stigma and differences in opinion within the psychiatric community. Various symptoms of BPD including affective instability, mood reactivity, and extremes of idealization are associated with challenging emotions toward patients with BPD. This observational research study utilized an adaptation of the 37-question Attitude to Personality Disorder Questionnaire (APDQ) to assess the attitudes of clinicians toward patients with BPD.

This questionnaire was distributed to 139 clinicians including psychiatry attendings, psychiatry residents, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, recreation and art therapists, and psychologists who worked with patients diagnosed with BPD on an inpatient unit. Responses of participants were compared based on occupation, gender, and duration of years worked on an inpatient psychiatric unit.

Results show that individuals employed in occupations under the “other health professionals” category had more positive transference (which included feelings of respect toward BPD patients along with feelings of closeness and warmth) toward patients with BPD, and nurses had an increased total score for lack of valid difficulties compared with other health professionals. When grouping by gender and duration of year spent working on an inpatient unit, there were no significant differences in the response toward patients with BPD in affective situations.

Clinical implications are discussed, as well as the need for training to help improve staff attitudes toward this patient population.

This study aimed to fill the current gap in the understanding of the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours (KAB) related to dietary Na among adult residents in Singapore.

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between October and December 2020 on 955 participants selected through random sampling.

The survey was conducted in Singapore.

Participants were recruited from the Singapore Population Health Study Online Panel.

Participants’ mean age was 46·6 ± 14·1 years old and 58 % of them were females. Most of the participants were Chinese (82·1 %), 10·5 % were Indian and 4·5 % were Malay. Findings from the weighted data showed that most participants were aware of the health impact of high Na consumption. However, many participants were unaware of the recommended intake for salt (68%) and Na (83%), had misconceptions, and were unable to correctly use food labels to assess NA content (69%). Findings also alluded to the presence of knowledge gaps in the sources of Na in their diet. While 59 % of the participants reported to be limiting their consumption of Na, many reported facing barriers such as not knowing how to limit their Na intake. Participants also felt that there were limited options for low-Na foods when eating out and were lacking awareness of low-Na products.

Findings highlighted substantial gaps in participants’ knowledge and skills in managing their Na consumption. This suggests the need for more public education and improvements in the food environment.