Effect of a contact-based education intervention on reducing stigma among community health and care staff in Beijing, China: Pilot randomized controlled study

The aim was to assess the feasibility of an intervention to reduce stigma among primary care and community healthcare staff in Beijing, China through a contact-based education intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to: (i) "education only" group, a lecture-based education; or (ii) "education and contact" group, lectures plus contact with people with lived experience of mental illness. Each participant completed an assessment of mental health stigma related: knowledge (mental health knowledge schedule, MAKS); attitudes (mental illness: clinicians' attitudes scale, MICA-4); and behavior (reported and intended behavior scale, RIBS) before and after the intervention, with follow up at 1 month and 3 months after the intervention. A total of 121 healthcare staff were recruited. Both "education only" group and "education and contact" group showed improved knowledge after the intervention, MAKS scores increased by 1.77 ± 3.15 VS 2.46 ± 2.49 (both p < 0.001), respectively. There was no between-group difference in MAKS score. The "education and contact" group showed a significantly greater improvement for MICA and RIBS score than the "education only" group: the MICA score decreased by 4.43 ± 9.42 VS 8.41 ± 7.48 (p = 0.027), and the RIBS score increased by 2.28 ± 3.89 VS 4.57 ± 3.53 (p = 0.003), in the "education only" and the "education and contact" groups respectively, but the between group differences disappeared at 1 month and 3 months follow-up points. The positive effects on stigma levels (knowledge, attitudes and behaviours) in both groups were sustained at 3 months. The intervention to reduce stigma among the primary and community healthcare staff through a contact-based education intervention was feasible in Beijing.