examining the attitude of medical students towards the specialized field of psychiatry and choosing it as a field of study

Introduction: selecting a residency field is crucial for physicians, with psychiatry being a less popular choice among graduates. therefore, it is crucial to investigate the factors that influence medical students' attitudes towards psychiatry to enhance their education. the purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of medical students towards the specialized field of psychiatry. materials and methods: this cross-sectional study, conducted in 2021 at kerman university of medical sciences, involved a sample size of 348 individuals. data collection was conducted using a researcher-designed questionnaire. the studied variables were analyzed using pearson correlation, anova, and independent t-test. data were analyzed by spss v.24 at the level of significance less than 0.05. results: the results of our study showed that the mean score of attitudes in the students was 59.54 ± 13.22 (21–96), which had no statistically significant relationship with age (p-value = 0.242), marital status (p-value = 0.46), gender (p-value = 0.827), gpa (p-value = 0.961), or level of education (p-value = 0.188). also, it was found that 45.4% were against choosing psychiatry as a specialized field, 19.6% had no opinion, and only 35% agreed with choosing it as a specialized field. conclusion: the study found that students had a positive attitude toward psychiatry, but their low interest in pursuing it suggests the need for targeted training programs to raise awareness and promote it as a viable career option alongside other fields.