Effectiveness of Direct and Indirect Contact in Reducing Explicit and Implicit Stigma toward Mental Illness

This study investigated the effects of direct and indirect contact on implicit and explicit stigma toward mental illness in a sample of Chinese undergraduates. Individuals who had previous direct and indirect contact with mental illness (n=52), as measured using the Level of Contact Questionnaire, completed three explicit stigma measures and the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Both groups demonstrated explicit and implicit stigma toward people with mental illness. Regarding explicit stigma, the direct-contact group reported significantly stronger perceived dangerousness in comparison with the indirect-contact group, while analysis of the TAT scores showed no significant difference between the two groups in terms of implicit stigma. These findings suggest that direct contact is not more effective than indirect contact in stigma reduction but instead enhances perceived dangerousness, and that natural contact with mental illness did not effectively eradicate stigma toward mental illness. Three implications of these findings are discussed for stigma reduction programs.