Survey experiment to estimate drivers of mental illness stigma
Despite significant advances in scientific understanding of brain and substance use disorders accompanied by significant advances in treatment and improvements in prognosis, mental illness remains highly stigmatized throughout the world. Previous studies suggest that portraying mental illness as treatable can reduce negative attitudes toward persons with mental illness. This randomized controlled trial compares the effects of exposing study participants to vignettes portraying persons with untreated and symptomatic mental illness vs. treated mental illness with complete response vs. treated mental illness with relapse. It is hypothesized, based on prior work, that study participants exposed to vignettes depicting treated mental illness with completed response would have the greatest effect on reducing negative attitudes toward persons with mental illness, followed by treated mental illness with relapse and untreated and symptomatic mental illness.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
1,782
Each version of the questionnaire portrays a young Ugandan woman with different profiles of illness severity, treatment, and treatment response.
Mbarara University of Science and Technology
Mbarara, Uganda
Social Distance
Willingness to have the woman portrayed in the vignette to marry into the study participant's family (single item culturally adapted instrument developed specifically for this study)
Time frame: Immediate (assessed with respect to the study participant's beliefs at a single time point, which is the time at which the survey is administered)
Perceived Norms about Social Distance
Study participant's perception of the extent to which other people would be willing to have the woman portrayed in the vignette to marry into their families (single item culturally adapted instrument developed specifically for this study)
Time frame: Immediate (assessed with respect to the study participant's beliefs at a single time point, which is the time at which the survey is administered)
Negative Attitudes (Attribution)
Personal belief that the symptoms of the woman portrayed in the vignette represent divine punishment (single item culturally adapted instrument developed specifically for this study)
Time frame: Immediate (assessed with respect to the study participant's beliefs at a single time point, which is the time at which the survey is administered)
Perceived Norms about Negative Attitudes (Attribution)
Study participant's perception of the extent to which other people believe that the symptoms of the woman portrayed in the vignette represent divine punishment (single item culturally adapted instrument developed specifically for this study)
Time frame: Immediate (assessed with respect to the study participant's beliefs at a single time point, which is the time at which the survey is administered)
Negative Attitudes (Shame)
Personal belief that the symptoms of the woman portrayed in the vignette bring shame upon her family
Time frame: Immediate (assessed with respect to the study participant's beliefs at a single time point, which is the time at which the survey is administered)
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Perceived Norms about Negative Attitudes (Shame)
Study participant's perception of the extent to which other people believe that the symptoms of the woman portrayed in the vignette bring shame upon her family (single item culturally adapted instrument developed specifically for this study)
Time frame: Immediate (assessed with respect to the study participant's beliefs at a single time point, which is the time at which the survey is administered)