Effect of a Psychopharmacology Educational Intervention on Undergraduate Students' Knowledge and Self-Confidence Regarding Psychotropic Medications: A Pre–Post Study

Abstract

Background: Psychopharmacology is a fundamental component of pharmacy and psychology education, equipping future healthcare professionals with the knowledge required to understand the mechanisms, therapeutic applications, and safety profiles of psychotropic medications. Despite its importance, many students report limited confidence in applying psychopharmacological concepts in clinical and interdisciplinary settings, highlighting the need for effective educational strategies.
Objective: To evaluate changes in undergraduate students' knowledge and self-reported confidence regarding psychotropic medications following a structured psychopharmacology educational intervention.
Methods: A pre–post educational study was conducted among 18 undergraduate students enrolled in a psychopharmacology course during the 2025 academic year. Participants completed identical questionnaires before and after the intervention, comprising 10 multiple-choice questions assessing knowledge and four five-point Likert-scale items evaluating confidence in understanding and discussing psychotropic medications. Descriptive statistics and paired comparisons were used to summarize changes in knowledge and confidence scores.
Results: Eighteen students completed both assessments (100% completion rate). Mean knowledge scores increased from 7.22 ± 2.39 before the intervention to 7.50 ± 3.13 afterward, while mean confidence scores increased from 13.44 ± 3.11 to 14.17 ± 3.91. Although neither improvement reached statistical significance (knowledge: p = 0.712; confidence: p = 0.585), item-level analyses demonstrated improvements in several clinically relevant areas, including recognition of antidepressant classes associated with serotonin syndrome risk, understanding of lithium therapy, identification of benzodiazepines, and knowledge of antipsychotic mechanisms. Participants also reported higher confidence across all evaluated domains following the educational intervention.
Conclusion: The psychopharmacology educational intervention demonstrated favorable trends in students' knowledge and self-confidence despite the absence of statistically significant overall improvements. The observed gains in several clinically important knowledge domains suggest that structured psychopharmacology teaching may contribute to strengthening medication literacy and professional confidence among undergraduate health sciences students. Larger multicenter studies with longer follow-up are warranted to further evaluate the effectiveness of psychopharmacology education and inform evidence-based curriculum development.