Conceptual competences in philosophy of psychiatry: A cross-sectional survey

Christophe Gauld, Awais Aftab, Marc Auriacombe, Pierre Fourneret, Christophe Arbus, Jean Naudin, Élodie Giroux, Michel Cermolacce, Tudi Gozé, Jean-Arthur Micoulaud-Franchi
L'Encéphale. 2025-05-01; :
DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2025.02.005

PubMed

Lire sur PubMed

Gauld C(1), Aftab A(2), Auriacombe M(3), Fourneret P(4), Arbus C(5), Naudin
J(6), Giroux É(7), Cermolacce M(8), Gozé T(9), Micoulaud-Franchi JA(10).

Author information:
(1)Department of Child Psychiatry, CHU de Lyon, 69000 Lyon, France; Institut des
Sciences Cognitives Marc-Jeannerod, UMR 5229 CNRS & Université Claude-Bernard
Lyon 1, Lyon, France; Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, 33000
Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: .
(2)Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH,
USA.
(3)Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, 33000 Bordeaux, France; Pôle
Interétablissement d’Addictologie, CH Charles-Perrens, CHU de Bordeaux, 33076
Bordeaux, France.
(4)Department of Child Psychiatry, CHU de Lyon, 69000 Lyon, France; Institut des
Sciences Cognitives Marc-Jeannerod, UMR 5229 CNRS & Université Claude-Bernard
Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
(5)Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, ToNIC, University of Toulouse, Inserm, UPS,
Toulouse, France; Service de psychiatrie d’urgences, de crise et de liaison, CHU
de Toulouse, Toulouse, France.
(6)Department of Psychiatry, Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite, Aix-Marseille
University, Marseille, France.
(7)Lyon 3 Jean-Moulin University, Lyon Institute of Philosophical Researches,
Lyon, France.
(8)Service de psychiatrie adulte, INS, faculté des sciences médicales et
paramédicales, hôpital Sainte-Marguerite, AP-HM, Aix-Marseille université,
Marseille, France.
(9)Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapies, Art Therapy, Toulouse University
Hospital, Toulouse, France; Équipe de recherche sur les rationalités
philosophiques et les savoirs, ERRAPHIS EA3051, Toulouse
University – Jean-Jaurès, Toulouse, France.
(10)Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, SANPSY, UMR 6033, 33000 Bordeaux, France;
University Sleep Clinic, University Hospital of Bordeaux, place
Amélie-Raba-Leon, 33076 Bordeaux, France.

OBJECTIVES: The complexity of psychiatry requires an integrated approach that
combines empirical practice, experiential insight, and theoretical reflection.
This study, integrated within a broader international project, aimed to assess
self-reported conceptual competences among French psychiatry students and
practitioners, underlining the pedagogical necessity of integrating philosophy
into psychiatry education to address both clinical and research challenges.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among French psychiatric
residents, practicing psychiatrists, and retired psychiatrists recruited through
professional networks and associations. Participants completed an online
questionnaire on self-reported conceptual competences in psychiatry consisting
of 18 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale, plus a complementary item. The
questionnaire was structured into three dimensions: perceived integration of
conceptual competences (7 items), perceived execution of conceptual competences
(3 items), and declared knowledge of conceptual competences (8 items). A
complementary item assessed the declared nature of six psychiatric conditions.
RESULTS: A total of 353 participants, primarily women (65.2%) and psychiatry
practitioners (53.4%) with an average age of 33.3years, completed the
questionnaire showing varied familiarity with conceptual issues in psychiatry.
The mean scores across the three dimensions of conceptual competences were as
follows: 3.19 for the perceived integration of conceptual competences dimension,
3.14 for the perceived execution of conceptual competences dimension, and 3.81
for the declared knowledge of conceptual competences dimension. Among
participants, 90.1% endorsed the need for including philosophical training in
psychiatric curricula, with 80.2% supporting skill development in this area.
High agreement was observed on the need for multiple perspectives (94.3%).
Confidence in conceptual understanding was moderate (41.9%), while critical
evaluation confidence was lower (24.4%).
DISCUSSION: The findings support the need for incorporating conceptual
competences into psychiatry education and practice. Frequent encounters with
philosophical challenges in clinical settings, coupled with noted gaps in
current training, highlight the critical importance of structured pedagogical
approaches in psychiatry to examine these conceptual issues. Longitudinal
studies will be needed to evaluate the potential impact of such educational
programs on the evolution of participants’ conceptual competences across the
three dimensions of the questionnaire.