Development and Evaluation of a Webinar to Reduce Stigma Toward People With Serious Mental Illness

Objective: This study involved the development, dissemination, and pre- and postassessment of a mental illness awareness webinar. The goal of the webinar is to educate the general public about serious mental illness (SMI) and reduce stigmatizing attitudes. Method: The study included 203 participants (n = 101 treatment group; n = 102 control group). Each completed a pretest and posttest measure of a mental illness stigma scale and a transphobia scale in this randomized control trial research design, along with a demographic form and participant feedback questionnaire. Results: Results revealed that stigma was significantly reduced from pretest to posttest depending on group condition. Participant feedback reflected generally positive responses to the benefits of participating in the webinar in terms of feeling more knowledgeable about SMI in particular (75.5%). Furthermore, while prior contact with people with-and prior education about-SMI alone did not appear to significantly impact stigma scores from pre- to posttest, these variables did appear to have a significant interaction in their combined impact on stigma scores. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Findings suggest that the mental illness awareness training holds promise as an effective tool or reducing stigma among members of the general public. The electronic nature of the webinar allows for widespread and cost-effective dissemination and can also be tailored to meet the needs of specific populations such as law enforcement, first responders, and veterans to destigmatize SMI and improve treatment seeking.

Automated summary

This study developed a mental illness awareness webinar to educate the general public about serious mental illness and reduce stigmatizing attitudes. The results showed that the webinar was effective in reducing stigma, and participants provided positive feedback about its benefits.