4.1. Place in the literature
mental illness, mentally ill
This study was able to demonstrate that students take on a more positive attitude toward the mentally ill during clinical instruction focused on psychosomatics compared to students in other (somatic) courses. This corroborates the results of many anti-stigma studies around the world [Furthermore, some empirical papers have shown that experiences in the personal sphere lead to greater acceptance of people with mental illness [Moreover, the results suggest that people with a more negative self-regard have a greater tendency to look down on the mentally ill [Based on the present study, it was possible to explore for the first time how the identified factors affect the extent of the prevailing stigmatizing attitudes, but not changes in them. Further studies are needed due to the gap in the literature.