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Randomized study of different anti-stigma media.
Joseph Finkelstein1, Oleg Lapshin, Evgeny Wasserman
1Chronic Disease Informatics Group, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. jfinkels@epi.umaryland.edu
Patient Education and Counseling
|February 22, 2008
Summary
Computer-assisted interventions effectively reduced psychiatric stigma among graduate students. These positive changes in attitudes toward mental illness were sustained for at least six months in the computer program group.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Mental Health Interventions
- Educational Technology
Background:
- Psychiatric stigma remains a significant barrier to mental healthcare access and recovery.
- University students, particularly in special education, are a key demographic for anti-stigma initiatives.
- Traditional anti-stigma methods may have limitations in reach and sustained impact.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of computer-assisted anti-stigma interventions in reducing psychiatric stigma.
- To compare the effectiveness of a computer program versus printed materials in changing attitudes.
- To assess the long-term impact of these interventions on students' perceptions of mental illness.
Main Methods:
- 193 graduate students were randomized into three groups: printed materials (RG), computer program (PG), or control (CG).
- Participants completed the Bogardus Scale of Social Distance (BSSD), Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI), and Psychiatric Knowledge Survey (PKS) at baseline and 6 months.
- The computer group received an interactive anti-stigma program, while the reading group received printed materials.
Main Results:
- Both the reading group and program group showed significant improvements in BSSD, CAMI, and PKS scores immediately after the intervention.
- In the program group, all improvements in stigma scores and psychiatric knowledge were sustained at the 6-month follow-up.
- In the reading group, improvements in two CAMI subscales and PKS scores were not significantly different from baseline at 6 months.
Conclusions:
- Computer-assisted interventions are effective in modifying university students' attitudes toward psychiatric patients.
- Computer-mediated programs offer a sustainable method for educating students about mental illness and reducing psychiatric stigma.
- This approach holds promise for large-scale implementation in educational settings to combat mental health stigma.
