THE EFFECTS OF PSYCHOEDUCATION ABOUT PSYCHOSIS ON THE REDUCTION OF STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL ILL-HEALTH

Abstract

Stigma is defined as the negative social attitude affixed to a characteristic of an individual that may be viewed as mental, physical, or social deficiency which has found to have a plethora of negative effects on people with mental ill-health. As demonstrated in previous studies, stigma appears most severe among sufferers of psychosis in comparison to other disorders. In Singapore, shared local cultural values as well as individual religious and spiritual beliefs associated with mental ill-health have led to greater stigma compared to Western countries. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effects of psychoeducation about psychosis on reduction of mental ill-health stigma. Undergraduate students (N = 157) from a Singapore university were recruited and participated in a psychoeducational intervention about psychosis. Levels of stigma among participants were measured pre- and post-intervention with the Attitudes to Mental Illness (AMI) questionnaire and Social Distance Scale (SDS). Results demonstrated significant decrease in cognitive, emotional, and behavioural components of stigma post- intervention. The study highlighted the effectiveness of a brief online psychoeducational presentation in reducing stigma towards mental ill-health, supporting the dissemination of evidence-based information about psychosis among young adults. Limitations, contributions, and directions for future research were discussed.