Effect of a contact-based education intervention on reducing stigma among community health and care staff in Beijing, China: Pilot randomized controlled study

The aim was to assess the feasibility of an intervention to reduce stigma among primary care and community healthcare staff in Beijing, China through a contact-based education intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to: (i) education only group, a lecture-based education; or (ii) education and contact group, lectures plus contact with people with lived experience of mental illness. Each participant completed an assessment of mental health stigma related: knowledge (mental health knowledge schedule, MAKS); attitudes (mental illness: clinicians' attitudes scale, MICA-4); and behavior (reported and intended behavior scale, RIBS) before and after the intervention, with follow up at 1 month and 3 months after the intervention. A total of 121 healthcare staff were recruited. Both education only group and education and contact group showed improved knowledge after the intervention, MAKS scores increased by 1.77 +/- 3.15 VS 2.46 +/- 2.49 (both p < 0.001), respectively. There was no between-group difference in MAKS score. The education and contact group showed a significantly greater improvement for MICA and RIBS score than the education only group: the MICA score decreased by 4.43 +/- 9.42 VS 8.41 +/- 7.48 (p = 0.027), and the RIBS score increased by 2.28 +/- 3.89 VS 4.57 +/- 3.53 (p = 0.003), in the education only and the education and contact groups respectively, but the between group differences disappeared at 1 month and 3 months follow-up points. The positive effects on stigma levels (knowledge, attitudes and behaviours) in both groups were sustained at 3 months. The intervention to reduce stigma among the primary and community healthcare staff through a contact-based education intervention was feasible in Beijing.

Automated summary

Reducing stigma among primary care and community healthcare staff in Beijing, China through a contact-based education intervention was shown to be feasible and had positive effects on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, which were sustained at 3 months.