EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTI-STIGMA INTERVENTIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN CHINA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF PUBLIC PERCEPTION AND AWARENESS

Abstract

The general population in China often endorses the stigma surrounding mental disorders. Efficient anti-stigma treatments supported by empirical proof are necessary to decrease public stigma. Nevertheless, the majority of research on the effectiveness of anti-stigma treatments was conducted in Western nations, and current systematic assessments often omitted current Chinese findings. This systematic study assesses the effectiveness of anti-stigma therapies in the general public of China's mainland, our study comprised 9 trials, including a total of 2042 individuals. The interventions resulted in a modest impact on the decrease of stereotypes and a comparable impact on enhancing mental health awareness. Discrimination results were not evaluated in any conducted study. Consumer interaction interventions did not show superiority over those without such contact. The available data on moderate and long-range impacts needed to be improved. Analysis revealed moderate variation among the research investigations. The assessment of research quality was average.