People with schizophrenia are often perceived as fundamentally different from oneself, a notion closely tied to mental illness stigma. The current study examines the interrelation between perception of similarities (semantic differential: similar-different scale) and continuum beliefs in the context of schizophrenia-related stigma (desire for social distance) in a German population sample (N = 760). Perception of similarities and continuum beliefs were significantly associated with lower desire for social distance explaining about 12% variance in an additive regression model. Continuum beliefs partially mediated the relation of perception of similarities and desire for social distance. Implications for mental illness stigma interventions are discussed.
Continuum beliefs (CB) interventions aim to reduce the stigma of schizophrenia by stating that people with and without schizophrenia exist on one mental health-illness continuum. The current study examines the interrelation between perception of similarities (PoS), CB and desire for social distance (SD) in a German population sample (N = 760). Applying linear regression models: PoS and CB were significantly associated with lower SD explaining about 12% variance and PoS was significantly associated with higher CB. CB partially mediated the relation of PoS and SD. Upcoming mental illness stigma interventions applying CB interventions should also aim to increase PoS.
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