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Reducing Stigma toward the Mentally Ill:

The Impact of Exposure versus Information

Stephanie Turner

Hanover College

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Stigma

Goffman (1963) defines stigma as an attribute of an individual that “makes him different from others…and of a less desirable kind-in the extreme, a person who is quite thoroughly bad, or dangerous, or weak”.

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Definitions

Stigma: more specific, negative form of attitudes; directed toward specific group

Exposure: any association or connection with mentally ill which involves seeing them as full human beings, capable of humor, warmth, intelligence, etc. and deserving of empathy

Empathy: “vicarious emotional experience of others” (Mehrabian, 1972)

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Tested Interventions to Reduce Stigma

Angermeyer (1996) and Dietrich (2006) discuss how close contact with the mentally ill impacts and shapes attitudes

Addison and Thorpe (2004)

Found that factual knowledge alone did not positively alter attitudes

Used Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill Scale (CAMI)

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Pre- / Post-Intervention Design

Demographics 2 surveys pre-intervention

Empathy scale, CAMI

Participant sees one of two videos Information: “Professional Lecture” Exposure: “Robert Documentary”

Post-intervention surveys Empathy scale, CAMI

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Hypotheses

Hypothesis 1: Participants in the Exposure Condition (“Robert Documentary”) will show a decrease in stigmatizing attitudes compared to participants in the Information Condition (“Professional Lecture”).

Hypothesis 2: Participants in the Exposure Condition will show an increase in empathy as compared to the participants in the Information Condition.

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Participants

Students (N = 25)n = 22 female; n = 3 male

Wide range of previous experience with mental illness, including acquaintance, friend, family member, and self

Majority (76%) reported some previous experience or contact with mentally ill persons

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Materials: CAMI

Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) (Taylor & Dear, 1981)

Four dimensions of attitudes: 5 point Likert Scale Benevolence

“We need to adopt a far more tolerant attitude toward the mentally ill in our society”

Authoritarianism “The best way to handle the mentally ill is to keep them

behind locked doors” Social Restrictiveness

“The mentally ill should not be given any responsibility” Community Mental Health Ideology

“The best therapy for many mental patients is to be a part of a normal community”

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Materials: Revised Empathy Scale

Based on the Emotional Empathetic Tendency Scale (EET) (Mehrabian, 1971)

Specified empathy toward mentally ill people

16 items total

5 point Likert Scale

8 concepts- 2 question each

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Empathy Scale Sample Questions

Concept: Sympathy for the mentally ill

Negative: “People make too much of the feelings and sensitivity of the mentally ill.”

Positive: “The mentally ill deserve our sympathy.”

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Materials: Professional Lecture

Video created for this study

Licensed Clinical Psychologist and director of a college counseling center

Discusses three mental disorders: Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, and Schizoaffective disorder

Formal lecture style, no empathic or humanizing information present

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Materials: Robert Documentary

Imagining Robert: My Brother, Madness, and Survival (Hott, 2004)

Film by two brothers Robert, who has suffered with mental illness Jay, primary caretaker over the last 38 years Shows how family copes with mental illness

Realistic, humanizing portrayal of Robert

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Results: CAMI

Mixed Model ANOVA CAMI- significant interaction (p = 0.005)

Follow up analysis for simple main effects of time also significant (p < 0.05)

Benevolence subscale- significant interaction (p < 0.05) Follow up analysis for simple main effects of

time also significant (p < 0.05)

Other subscales showed no significant differences

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Pre-/Post- CAMI Changes

149.8155.3 146.8150.9

020406080

100120140160180200

Robert Lecture

Pre

Post

CAMI Score Significant

interaction(p = 0.005)

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Pre-/Post- Benevolence Changes

38.8 39.440.3 38.9

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5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Robert Lecture

Pre

Post

Benevolence Score

Significant interaction(p < 0.05)

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Discussion of CAMI

Hypothesis 1 confirmed: Participants showed more benevolent, and thus less stigmatizing attitudes after Exposure intervention

CAMI and Benevolence differences might be even greater with a neutral or more stigmatizing sample.

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Results: Empathy Scale

Reliability was achieved: Empathy Scale revised to specify the Mentally Ill was found to be reliable (α = 0.71)

Hypothesis 2 not supported: No significant main effects or interaction found

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Previous Contact of Participants

6 6

1011

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0

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# Ps reports

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Empathy Discussion

Participants displayed high levels of empathy pre-intervention. Mean: 61.4 Range: 49-70

High empathy levels may have restricted the amount of change that could be evoked by intervention.

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Target sample low in empathy and high in stigmatizing attitudes toward mentally ill

Further research is needed to Test intervention with more participants Explore the role benevolence plays in

reducing stigmatizing attitudes and how it is related to empathy

Implications and Future Research

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Pre-/Post- Empathy Changes

61.4 60.4

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20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Empathy Scale

PrePost

No significant Interactionp = 0.737

Empathy Score