Exploring the relationship between intergroup contact and mental illness stigma among Chinese nursing students: Based...

Intergroup contact may influence mental illness stigma. However, only a few studies have differentiated between implicit and explicit forms of stigma.

To determine the relationship between intergroup contact and mental illness stigma among nursing students, guided by the Dual Attitude Model (DAM).

Cross-sectional study design.

A total of 96 nursing students from Hangzhou, China, were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling methods from December 2024 to January 2025. Explicit stigma was assessed using the Intergroup Contact Scale and Semantic Differential Scale, while implicit stigma was evaluated through three Single Category Implicit Association Tests (SC-IATs). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0.

Overall attitudes toward mental illness were predominantly negative. Mental illness stigma differed significantly by gender, educational level, and whether participants had family members or friends diagnosed with mental illness. Intergroup contact was positively correlated with explicit stigma but had no significant association with implicit stigma. Additionally, explicit and implicit stigma were found to be unrelated.

The results indicated that both explicit and implicit stigma toward mental illness exist among Chinese nursing students, excluding explicit behavioral tendencies. Intergroup contact was found to be significantly associated with explicit stigma only, and explicit and implicit stigma are independent constructs. Future research should focus on how intergroup contact influences explicit stigma and explore which factors moderate implicit stigma to develop more effective anti-stigma interventions.