The influence of an anti‐stigma intervention on adolescents' attitudes to schizophrenia: a mixed methodology approach

Abstract

Background: This study aimed at exploring adolescents' attitudes to schizophrenia and the impact of an educational intervention on improving them, by employing a mixed methodology. Method: A total of 1081 secondary-school students were randomly allocated to a control and intervention condition. Stigma endorsement was assessed by a free association card and a questionnaire, before and 2 weeks after the intervention. Results: The intervention yielded substantial changes in students' beliefs, attitudes and social distance levels as well as in their associations with the term 'severe mental illness'. Conclusions: Educational interventions can contribute substantially to preventing consolidation of unfavourable attitudes towards mental illness. Key Practitioner Message:• There is confusion in the literature with regard to 14-year olds' knowledge about and attitudes towards mental illness, while the evidence to support the effectiveness of educational interventions in improving them is scanty • The present study aims to elucidate this discrepancy by employing a mixed methodology approach • The results highlight adolescents' ambivalence towards severe mental illness and the significance of educational interventions in addressing it • Through targeting adolescents' attitudes towards mental illness, one can alleviate their fear of being stigmatised, which has been found to deter them from seeking professional help

Do universal school‐based mental health promotion programmes improve the mental health and emotional wellbeing of young people? A literature review

“…The third theme apparent within eight studies was relating to providing the participants with an increased knowledge of MH and illness and changing negative attitudes and beliefs. Four authors (Economou et al., ; Essler, Arthur, & Stickley, ; Rickwood et al., ; Sakellari, Sourander, Kalokerinou‐Anagnostopoulou, & Leino‐Kilpi, ) reported that a psycho‐educational intervention increased knowledge of MH. Economou et al.…”

“…Economou et al. (), and Essler et al. () also explored whether a psycho‐educational intervention would change negative attitudes and beliefs.…”

“…Economou et al. () identified results that showed that the number of participants using positive terms increased after the intervention; however, Essler et al. () noted that following their intervention there was some evidence of an increase in negative attitudes associated with MH stigma.…”

Psychometric properties of the Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale‐Revised in adolescents and young adults

“…However, research suggests that this population group is less likely to seek professional help than older populations (Reavley, Cvetkovski, Jorm, & Lubman, 2010). Stigma is repeatedly recognized as a potent barrier against help‐seeking behaviour (Clement et al, 2015; Gulliver, Griffiths, & Christensen, 2010; Nearchou et al, 2018; Schnyder, Panczak, Groth, & Schultze‐Lutter, 2017) and yet stigma is a barrier that can be dismantled through intervention (Economou et al, 2014; Vila‐Badia et al, 2016). Evaluation of interventions requires psychometrically valid instruments to assess the nature and extent of different types of stigma.…”

Interventions to Reduce Stigma Related to Mental Illnesses in Educational Institutes: a Systematic Review

“…In a classroom-based intervention used in two studies, projective cards were used to understand misperceptions about mental illnesses and discussion to overcome these misperceptions was carried out. In last part, patient’s narratives and role of media were also added [ 37 , 38 ].…”