Effects of Portrayals of Successful Treatment and Role Fulfillment on Mental Illness Stigma

Randomized Vignette Experiment on the Effects of Portrayals of Successful Treatment and Role Fulfillment on Mental Illness Stigma

This study aims to measure levels of mental illness stigma based on successful treatment and societal role fulfillment of the individual portrayed with mental illness.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Mental Illness
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Major Depressive Disorder without treatment or role fulfillment; Other: Major Depressive Disorder with treatment but no role fulfillment; Other: Major Depressive Disorder without treatment but with role fulfillment; Other: Major Depressive Disorder with treatment and role fulfillment; Other: Schizophrenia without treatment or role fulfillment; Other: Schizophrenia with treatment but no role fulfillment; Other: Schizophrenia without treatment but with role fulfillment; Other: Schizophrenia with treatment and role fulfillment

Detailed Description

This study aims to measure levels of mental illness stigma based on successful treatment and societal role fulfillment of the individual portrayed with mental illness. This study utilizes eight vignettes portraying two different mental illnesses (depression and schizophrenia), with one vignette giving no details about role fulfillment or treatment, another giving no details about role fulfillment but successful treatment, another giving details on role fulfillment but no treatment, and last giving details on both role fulfillment and successful treatment.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 400
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Uganda
  • Iganga, Uganda
    • Empowerment to Heal - Uganda

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• All adults who consider Buyende District their primary residence and who are capable of providing consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Minors younger than 18 years of age
• Persons who do not consider Buyende District their primary place of residence

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

8

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Major Depressive Disorder without treatment or role fulfillment	Other: Major Depressive Disorder without treatment or role fulfillment; Read vignette describing the condition and ask stigma questions.
Experimental: Major Depressive Disorder with treatment but no role fulfillment	Other: Major Depressive Disorder with treatment but no role fulfillment; Read vignette describing the condition and ask stigma questions.
Experimental: Major Depressive Disorder without treatment but with role fulfillment	Other: Major Depressive Disorder without treatment but with role fulfillment; Read vignette describing the condition and ask stigma questions.
Experimental: Major Depressive Disorder with treatment and role fulfillment	Other: Major Depressive Disorder with treatment and role fulfillment; Read vignette describing the condition and ask stigma questions.
Experimental: Schizophrenia without treatment or role fulfillment	Other: Schizophrenia without treatment or role fulfillment; Read vignette describing the condition and ask stigma questions.
Experimental: Schizophrenia with treatment but no role fulfillment	Other: Schizophrenia with treatment but no role fulfillment; Read vignette describing the condition and ask stigma questions.
Experimental: Schizophrenia without treatment but with role fulfillment	Other: Schizophrenia without treatment but with role fulfillment; Read vignette describing the condition and ask stigma questions.
Experimental: Schizophrenia with treatment and role fulfillment	Other: Schizophrenia with treatment and role fulfillment; Read vignette describing the condition and ask stigma questions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Personal Acceptance Scale (PAS)	The PAS is a questionnaire targeted to public stigma, the "negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors held within a community" against individuals with mental illness. Each yes adds one point to the scale, and five questions from each scale were reverse-scored to match the direction of the scale. There were ten questions, therefore it generated a score between zero and ten. Higher scores indicated more acceptance and less stigma towards mental illness, while lower scores indicated less acceptance and more stigma towards mental illness.	One year. For each interview, approximately 60 minutes.
Broad Acceptance Scale (BAS)	The BAS is a questionnaire targeted to distal public stigma. Each yes adds one point to the scale, and five questions from each scale were reverse-scored to match the direction of the scale. There were ten questions, therefore it generated a score between zero and ten. Higher scores indicated more acceptance and less stigma towards mental illness, while lower scores indicated less acceptance and more stigma towards mental illness.	One year. For each interview, approximately 60 minutes.
Attributed Stigma Scale	Attributed stigma scale will be a modification of the PAS to gather understanding of what participants believe the attitudes of others in their community are. Each yes adds one point to the scale, and five questions from each scale were reverse-scored to match the direction of the scale. There were ten questions, therefore it generated a score between zero and ten. Higher scores indicated more acceptance and less stigma towards mental illness, while lower scores indicated less acceptance and more stigma towards mental illness.	One year. For each interview, approximately 60 minutes.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Yale University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Yang Jae Lee, MD, Yale University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 15, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): August 15, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 7, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 12, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): July 19, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2025
• Last Verified: January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2000034605_b

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No