Sensitizing psychiatry trainees towards male homosexuality: a movie club approach

Abstract

Gurvinder Kalra

Psychiatric training curricula these days are heavily biased towards neurobiology which tends to reduce the understanding of psychiatry trainees about psychosocial issues that their patients may face. Psychiatry trainees can get a clearer picture of psychosocial issues when they see a good film on it. A psychiatry movie club is a novel and interesting method that diverts from the didactic methods of teaching. This method was used with an objective to sensitize psychiatry trainees about male homosexuality. A movie club on male homosexuality was organized using a set of 5 films combined with various other teaching strategies to sensitize and teach psychiatry trainees about male homosexuality. Pre- and post-movie club attitudes towards male homosexuality were measured using Attitudes Towards Gay Men Scale (ATG). The participants were followed up 1- year later to see if this change was sustained over time. Participants attending the movie club reported a positive change in their understanding of and attitudes towards male homosexuality. A 1- year follow up through emails showed that the effect sustained over time. Movie clubs can be an effective method to teach psychosocial issues surrounding male homosexuality in psychiatric curricula.