TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in attitudes, intended behaviour, and mental health literacy in the Swedish population 2009–2014
T2 - an evaluation of a national antistigma programme
AU - Hansson, L.
AU - Stjernswärd, S.
AU - Svensson, B.
PY - 2016/8/1
Y1 - 2016/8/1
N2 - Objective: Public stigma of mental illness is still a major problem where numerous population studies during the last decade have mainly shown no improvements. A Swedish national antistigma campaign has been running 2010–2014. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in public stigma during this period as compared to baseline in 2009. Methods: Yearly population surveys were made between 2009 and 2014 including assessments of mental health literacy, attitudes, and intended future behaviour. Two surveys were made, one including a nationally representative sample and one including a representative sample from three original campaign regions. Multiple regression analyses, also including age, gender, education, and familiarity with mental illness were made to investigate yearly changes in public stigma compared to baseline. Results: Mental health literacy improved significantly in the campaign regions between 2009 and 2014, as did intended future behaviour. Attitudes toward mental illness also improved significantly. Improvements were also shown in the national population surveys, but the time pattern of these compared to that of the original campaign regions indicated that these changes took place mainly after the campaign had been extended to a further five Swedish regions. Conclusion: The results of our surveys suggest that a campaign primarily based on social contact theory and involving people with lived experience of mental illness may, even in a rather short-term perspective, have a significant positive impact on mental health literacy, attitudes, and intentions of social contact with people with mental illness.
AB - Objective: Public stigma of mental illness is still a major problem where numerous population studies during the last decade have mainly shown no improvements. A Swedish national antistigma campaign has been running 2010–2014. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in public stigma during this period as compared to baseline in 2009. Methods: Yearly population surveys were made between 2009 and 2014 including assessments of mental health literacy, attitudes, and intended future behaviour. Two surveys were made, one including a nationally representative sample and one including a representative sample from three original campaign regions. Multiple regression analyses, also including age, gender, education, and familiarity with mental illness were made to investigate yearly changes in public stigma compared to baseline. Results: Mental health literacy improved significantly in the campaign regions between 2009 and 2014, as did intended future behaviour. Attitudes toward mental illness also improved significantly. Improvements were also shown in the national population surveys, but the time pattern of these compared to that of the original campaign regions indicated that these changes took place mainly after the campaign had been extended to a further five Swedish regions. Conclusion: The results of our surveys suggest that a campaign primarily based on social contact theory and involving people with lived experience of mental illness may, even in a rather short-term perspective, have a significant positive impact on mental health literacy, attitudes, and intentions of social contact with people with mental illness.
KW - anti-stigma programme
KW - attitudes
KW - discrimination
KW - stigma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84978472633&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/acps.12609
DO - 10.1111/acps.12609
M3 - Article
C2 - 27426648
AN - SCOPUS:84978472633
SN - 0001-690X
VL - 134
SP - 71
EP - 79
JO - Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
JF - Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
ER -