Health care providers and people with mental illness: An integrative review on anti-stigma interventions

Bruna Sordi Carrara, Raquel Helena Hernandez Fernandes, Sireesha Jennifer Bobbili and Carla Aparecida Arena Ventura

International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 2021, vol. 67, issue 7, 840-853

Abstract: Background: Health care providers are an important target group for anti-stigma interventions because they have the potential to convey stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental illness. This can have a detrimental impact on the quality and effectiveness of care provided to those affected by mental illness. Aims and methods: Whittemore & Knafl’s integrative review method (2005) was used to analyze 16 studies investigating anti-stigma interventions targeting health care providers. Results: The interventions predominantly involved contact-based educational approaches which ranged from training on mental health (typically short-term), showing videos or films (indirect social contact) to involving people with lived experiences of mental illness (direct social contact). A few studies focused on interventions involving educational strategies without social contact, such as mental health training (courses/modules), distance learning via the Internet, lectures, discussion groups, and simulations. One study investigated an online anti-stigma awareness-raising campaign that aimed to reduce stigmatizing attitudes among health care providers. Conclusion: Anti-stigma interventions that involve social contact between health care providers and people with mental illness, target specific mental illnesses and include long-term follow-up strategies seem to be the most promising at reducing stigma towards mental illness among health care providers.

Keywords: Health care providers; mental illness; anti-stigma interventions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:67:y:2021:i:7:p:840-853

DOI: 10.1177/0020764020985891

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