Abstract
Evaluate the long-term effectiveness of a community-led theatrical intervention in reducing mental health stigma in a low-income setting in Uganda. A follow-up survey of study participants was conducted 12 months after the initial community-led theatrical intervention measuring the primary outcomes of mental illness stigma using the Broad Acceptance Scale (BAS) and the Personal Acceptance Scale (PAS). Of the initial 57 participants, 46 (80%) completed the follow-up survey. The average improvement in Broad Acceptance Scale and Personal Acceptance Score observed from baseline to twelve months after the intervention was 1.435 (95% CI: 0.826–2.044, p < 0.0001, SD: 1.64) and 2.152 (95% CI: 1.444–2.860, p < 0.0001, SD: 1.93), respectively. Both effect sizes were within the confidence intervals of the average improvement observed one week after the intervention. Exposure to the community-led theatrical intervention continued to confer a significant and substantial reduction in mental illness stigma.
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The datasets generated during and/or analayzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Funding
This study was funded by the 501©3 U.S. organization Empower Through Health. Multiple co-authors (Yang Jae Lee, Ibrahim Ssekalo, Kazungu Rauben, and Scott Blackwell) are either Directors or Affiliates of Empower Through Health.
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Institutional Review Board - The AIDS Support Organization, Uganda: #TASOREC/048/2021-UG-REC-009.
Uganda National Council of Science and Technology registration number: HS1764ES.
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This project was approved by the Institutional Review Board of The AIDS Support Organization, Uganda and Uganda National Council of Science and Technology. Names of participants were removed from the dataset to ensure anonymity, and participants were assigned an identifying number.
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Before all surveys, a research assistant read a consent form describing the aim and potential risks of the study, and all participants gave verbal and written informed consent. Participants were informed that they can withdraw from the study at any time without any retribution. All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or nationalresearch committee and with the 1964 Helsinki delcaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standard.
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Co-authors Yang Jae Lee, Ibrahim Ssekalo, Kazungu Rauben, and Scott Blackwell are either Directors or Affiliates in the 501(c)3 organization Empower Through Health, which funded and supported this study. There are no other competing interests for any other authors.
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Lee, Y.J., Christ, R., Blackwell, S. et al. Twelve-month outcomes of a destigmatizing theatrical intervention in rural Uganda. Curr Psychol 43, 14676–14685 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05427-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05427-x