Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of two brief video interventions in reducing mental health-related stigma: one featuring a person with lived experience of mental illness, the other featuring an actor guided by focus groups of individuals with lived experience.
Methods: Participants (N=1,216) ages 18-30 were randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention groups viewed one of two 2-minute videos in which a young Black protagonist describes symptoms, struggles, and personal recovery related to schizophrenia. Five domains of stigma were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and a 30-day follow-up.
Results: Stigma scores were lower across all five domains in both intervention groups (vs. control), and noninferiority analyses found no difference between the two videos (all p<0.001).
Conclusions: This study enhanced prior findings showing similar efficacy of the two videos and illustrated opportunities for people with mental illness to share their personal stories without public exposure.
Keywords: Intervention; Public stigma; Schizophrenia; Social contact; Stigma/discrimination; Video.