A pilot mixed-methods evaluation of an intervention to reduce Korean undergraduates’ stigma toward autistic people

Abstract

BackgroundHeightened stigma in South Korea may contribute to the difficulties that autistic undergraduate students experience in college. This study aimed to explore non-autistic Korean undergraduate students’ stigma toward autistic people using semi-structured interviews surrounding a pilot autism anti-stigma training. MethodDuring the pre-intervention interview, 22 Korean undergraduate students were asked to describe autism, rate their agreement with Social Distance Scale (SDS) items, which asked about their willingness to interact with autistic people, and justify their responses. Participants then completed an online autism training. The post-intervention interview asked the same series of questions but omitted the justification-related questions. We analyzed open-ended responses using content analysis and used a paired-sample t-test to compare pre- and post-intervention averaged SDS items. ResultsParticipants reported different justifications for their desired social distance from autistic people. The types and frequency of justifications mentioned differed depending on the types of relationships expected. Intervention participation was associated with reduced stigma toward autistic people (p < .001). Participants’ extreme stereotypes (e.g., savant) and perceptions of autistic individuals as living in their own world shifted toward recognizing autistic individuals as people living in the same world. ConclusionsThis is the first study to explore why non-autistic Korean college students may desire social distance from autistic people and to attempt to reduce heightened autism stigma in South Korea through an autism training. Future work should use a randomized control trial to examine the causal impact of training on stigma and to identify active ingredients of anti-stigma interventions across cultures.