Cahoon, Carly, Kelsie King, Hailey Alvey and Dominic Redman

Title:
Education Against Discrimination: A Study of Stigma Around Serious Mental Illness

Abstract:
Stigma toward serious mental illness (SMI) has been found to be correlated to a wide array of variables, including ethnicity and gender. Although there has also been research regarding the connection between general education and stigma, there seems to be a discrepancy in information on interest and education in mental health fields and their relationship to stigma and SMI. The purpose of this research was to fill this gap and understand the relationship between individual interest and education in mental health-related topics and stigma presented toward SMI. Undergraduates from varying universities and colleges participated in a survey that included questions on stigma, education, and interest towards mental health as well as demographics. We hypothesize that students with greater education and interest in mental health-related topics will hold less stigmatizing beliefs towards individuals with SMI. We used a correlational study design and conducted a two-way ANOVA to investigate the interaction between education and interest. We believe that this research contributes to our understanding of factors that relate to stigma on a college campus and may lead to future research on stigma reduction.

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