Reducing College Student's Stigma Toward People With Schizophrenia: A Pilot Trial

Abstract

Purpose: A new 1-day intervention grounded on the inter-group contact theory was developed and implemented to reduce college students’ stigma toward people with schizophrenia (PWS). We hypothesized that the stigmatizing situation could be alleviated by different levels of contact. Method: A pilot trial was conducted in Hong Kong with 41 college students participating in the intervention. Participants’ perception, stigmatizing attitudes, and social distance toward PWS were measured pre-, post, and 1-month after the intervention. Results: Significant changes were found in all outcome variables with moderate to high effect sizes. Knowledge session without direct contact contributed most to participants’ knowledge improvement, and higher levels of contact led to an obvious improvement in stigmatizing attitudes and social distance changes. Discussion:The current study provided evidence supporting the efficacy of the new intervention based on inter-group contact theory and practical experience for future stigma research.