Abstract
Mental Health Nurses who have direct contact with consumers can exhibit discriminatory attitudes towards people with mental illness. Evidence shows that anti-stigma interventions are effective in improving stigmatised attitudes towards mental illness to facilitate the recovery of people with mental illness, and the contact-based interventions are more impactful than other modalities of education and training.
The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of consumer-led education in reducing stigmatised attitudes among mental health nurses. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used to assess the impact of consumer-led education.
The results show that Mental Health Nurses generally held positive attitudes towards mental illness, with some room for improvement. Pretest result shows that they have some negative attitudes towards disclosure about mental illness, recovery of people with mental illness and safety of the public from mental illness. Meanwhile, consumer-led education significantly enhanced positive attitudes towards mental illness immediately after the interventions, with sustainable effects three months later.
Findings from this research may inform other health services about consumer-led education influencing cultures of practice in adult acute inpatient units. However, future research should focus on behavioural outcomes using a large sample in a randomised controlled trial.
Notes
References:
Hardy, J., Parker, S., Hughes, I., & Anand, M. (2022). Factors affecting knowledge of recovery-oriented practice amongst mental health nursing and medical staff working on acute mental health inpatient units. Int J Ment Health Nurs, 31(5), 1228-1238. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13032
Hsiao , C. Y., Lu , H. L., & Tsai , Y. F. (2015). Factors influencing mental health nurses' attitudes towards people with mental illness. Int J Ment Health Nurs, 24(3), 272-280. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12129
Sreeram, A., Cross, W. M., & Townsin, L. (2022). Anti-stigma initiatives for mental health professionals-a systematic literature review. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.12840
Sreeram, A., Cross, W. M., & Townsin, L. (2024). A mixed-method evaluation of peer-led education about attitudes towards consumers' recovery among Mental Health Nurses working in acute inpatient psychiatric units. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 33(4), 1082-1099. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13311
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quasi-Experimental Study, Other
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Implementation Science, Acute Care, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Nursing Students, Attitudes Toward Mental Illness
Recommended Citation
Sreeram, Anju, "Impact of Consumer-Led Education on Stigma Reduction in Mental Health Nursing" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 300.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/300
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-25
Impact of Consumer-Led Education on Stigma Reduction in Mental Health Nursing
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mental Health Nurses who have direct contact with consumers can exhibit discriminatory attitudes towards people with mental illness. Evidence shows that anti-stigma interventions are effective in improving stigmatised attitudes towards mental illness to facilitate the recovery of people with mental illness, and the contact-based interventions are more impactful than other modalities of education and training.
The current study aimed to examine the effectiveness of consumer-led education in reducing stigmatised attitudes among mental health nurses. A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design was used to assess the impact of consumer-led education.
The results show that Mental Health Nurses generally held positive attitudes towards mental illness, with some room for improvement. Pretest result shows that they have some negative attitudes towards disclosure about mental illness, recovery of people with mental illness and safety of the public from mental illness. Meanwhile, consumer-led education significantly enhanced positive attitudes towards mental illness immediately after the interventions, with sustainable effects three months later.
Findings from this research may inform other health services about consumer-led education influencing cultures of practice in adult acute inpatient units. However, future research should focus on behavioural outcomes using a large sample in a randomised controlled trial.
Description
This study examined consumer-led education to reduce stigma among mental health nurses using a quasi-experimental pre/post-test design. Nurses generally held positive attitudes, though negative views persisted around disclosure, recovery, and public safety. Consumer-led education significantly improved attitudes immediately after intervention, with effects sustained three months later. Findings suggest its potential to influence practice and future research should use larger randomized trials.