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Background: Stigma toward people with bipolar disorder (BD) is pervasive and can have many negative repercussions. Common approaches to stigma reduction include education and intergroup contact. From this perspective, the Collaborative RESearch Team to study psychosocial issues in Bipolar Disorder (CREST.BD) and Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) partnered to develop an intervention to combat stigma. The result is a personal narrative intervention that combines contact, education and drama to educate audiences and dispel the myths that drive stigma. Aim: This study reports on the impact of the CREST.BD-CANMAT stigma-reduction intervention in filmed format. Methods: A sample of 137 participants was recruited to view the film, including health-care service providers, university students in a health-care-related course, people with BD and their friends and family members and the general public. Participants were evaluated for stigmatizing attitudes and the desire for social distance before and after the intervention and 1 month later. Results: For health-care service providers, the intervention was associated with statistically significant improvements in several categories of stigmatizing attitudes, with maintenance 1 month later. The impact was more modest for the other subsamples. Students demonstrated progressive, significant improvements in the desire for (less) social distance. Some improvements were observed among members of the BD community and the general public, but these were limited and eroded over time. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that a filmed dramatic intervention based on the lived experience of BD has statistically significant, sustainable stigma-reduction impacts for health-care service providers and more limited impacts for other target groups. This intervention can be considered an effective tool for use in stigma-reduction campaigns specifically targeting members of the health-care sector. Results are discussed in the context of multi-component stigma-reduction campaigns and the potential needs of target groups.

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, it is important to continue providing accurate updates and public health information to various target audiences. In support of such efforts, this study aims to understand how youth have accessed information about COVID-19 and to record their perspectives on how such information is best communicated. As part of a larger longitudinal study, 463 youth (M = 21.2 years, SD = 2.2) were surveyed about their sources of information on COVID-19, with qualitative questions regarding their perspectives on optimal public health communication strategies. A majority of youth reported using online sources to access information about COVID-19, including online news sources and social media. They used a diversity of such sources, with a preference those they regarded as reliable. Participants recommended that public health information campaigns be conducted on a variety of social media channels. Other digital campaigns were also recommended, while some suggested providing information through schools. Information should be brief, engaging, accessible, and frequently updated, using verified sources to ensure accuracy. We conclude that, to reach youth effectively, it is essential that accurate COVID-19 information and public health guidelines be disseminated in an engaging manner using digital means, particularly social media. Communication campaigns should be developed in partnership with youth in order to best reach this audience with the information they need.