OBJECTIVE: Antistigma programs may be guided by 3 differing agendas: services (promote treatment engagement),... Show moreOBJECTIVE: Antistigma programs may be guided by 3 differing agendas: services (promote treatment engagement),
rights (help people achieve rightful goals), and self-worth (facilitate self-worth and efficacy). This study
examined the construct validity of this perspective by examining the factor structure of importance ratings of
the 3 agendas. The study examined how importance might be viewed differently by the population as a whole versus
a subsample of people who reported previous experience with mental health services and hence could be directly
harmed by stigma. METHODS: 373 individuals recruited using Mechanical Turk completed importance ratings for each
of the 3 agendas. Measures of public stigma were completed to examine concurrent validity of importance ratings.
Those who reported taking medications for a psychiatric disorder were divided into a separate group and
completed a measure of self-stigma. RESULTS: Outcomes seemed to confirm the factor structure of the 3 agendas
model thereby offering partial support for the framework. Group analyses showed the services agenda was viewed
as more important than rights or self-worth. People with mental health experience viewed the services agenda as
more important than the other 2. However, dividing the mental health group into low and high self-stigma
revealed that those with low self-stigma rated the rights agenda as more important. Conclusions and Implication
for Practice: Participants with lower self-stigma identify the harm brought by stigma and thus endorse rights
and self-worth more than those with higher self-stigma. Implications of these findings are discussed to assist
to prioritize agendas for public health campaigns. Show less
Objective Impact of a peer navigator program (PNP) develop by a community based participatory research team was... Show moreObjective Impact of a peer navigator program (PNP) develop by a community based participatory research team was
examined on African Americans with serious mental illness who were homeless. Methods Research participants were
randomized to PNP or a treatment-as-usual control group for one year. Data on physical and mental health,
recovery, and quality of life were collected at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 months. Results Findings from group by
trial ANOVAs of omnibus measures of the four constructs showed significant impact over the one year for
participants in PNP compared to control described by small to moderate effect sizes. These differences emerged
even though both groups showed significant improvements in reduced homelessness and insurance coverage.
Conclusions Implications for improving in-the-field health care for this population are discussed. Whether these
results occurred because navigators were peers per se needs to be examined in future research. Show less
