Attitudes of Iranian Psychiatrists to Psychosomatic Medicine: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Objective: Psychosomatic attitudes may be rooted and grounded in the particular culture of the scientific community in each country. We conducted a qualitative research to understand the exclusive psychosomatic attitudes and psychosomatic medicine status of Iranian Psychiatrists. Method : This research was conducted using a qualitative content analysis based on Graneheim and Lundmanand method. All psychiatrists of Avicenna hospital, which is a teaching hospital of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, were the target population of this study. Among them, 9 psychiatrists were selected by a non-random purposeful sampling method, and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Results: Results indicated that most psychiatrists do not have a proper understanding of the term “psychosomatic medicine”, but they acknowledged the importance of an integrative approach in medicine. Biopsychosocial model, as a unified and integrated concept, can encompass all emerged categories and refers to the overall pattern in psychiatrists' attitude. Conclusion: Despite acknowledging the importance of a comprehensive approach to medicine and profound theoretical knowledge of psychiatrists, the practical application of biological, psychological, and social dimensions has not been considered equally. Thus, the scientific practical stand of this comprehensive approach requires more serious consideration by the medical community.