Stigma is an insidious problem that has resulted in loss of opportunities for people with mental illness. Research suggests that contact... Show moreStigma is an insidious problem that has resulted in loss of opportunities for people with mental illness. Research suggests that contact provided through a structured talk by a person with mental illness could serve as an effective tool in combating stigma and promoting attitude change. Additionally, research on imagined contact suggests this approach can also decrease negative stereotypes toward people with schizophrenia. The current study examined the effectiveness of these two approaches in changing attitudes toward people with mental illness when delivered via the Internet. It was hypothesized that both a videotaped contact and an imagined contact approach would increase positive attitudes and decrease negative attitudes toward people with mental illness when presented alone, and that efficacy would increase when combined. Findings showed no significant changes for any experimental condition from baseline attitudes or relative to a control condition, which suggests that interventions used in this study are not successful in creating sustainable attitude change over the Internet. Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2014 Show less
