Abstract
This article examines the development of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (PsyR) beliefs, goals, and practices among students from different academic programs within the same university. Undergraduate and graduate students were studied. Students educated and working at psychiatric hospitals were compared to those on college campuses and in the community. The relationship of these attitudes to both affective and career commitment was examined. A cross-sectional design examining student attitudes at different intervals in their academic career was employed. Among undergraduate students, the number of PsyR credits earned was positively correlated with the development of the PsyR attitudes (r = .51). This was true for both hospital and community based students. The largest growth in PsyR beliefs and practices was apparent after completion of clinical field placements. PsyR attitudes were also positively correlated with affective or emotional commitment to the field. A similar relationship between PsyR attitudes and affective and career commitment was found for graduate students. The number of graduate credits earned, however, was not associated with the development of PsyR attitudes, perhaps due to a ceiling effect.