Public disclosures of mental health problems on social media and audiences' self-reported anti-stigma effects.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional online survey examining associations with self-reported stigma reduction
PubMed 39835579 · doi:10.1093/heapro/daae204
What was done
An online survey was administered to a convenience sample of 803 adults recruited via Prolific who had previously been exposed to a public disclosure of mental health problems on social media. Logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between self-reported stigma reduction and characteristics of the disclosure messages, disclosers, and audience members.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, odds ratios, or statistical significance metrics. It notes qualitatively that self-reported stigma reduction was associated with explicit diagnoses from disclosers, themes emphasizing psychosocial causes of mental ill health, and positive or echoing comments from other users. Additionally, greater audience empathy toward, perceived similarity to, and identification with disclosers were associated with reported stigma reduction.
Why it matters
These findings identify specific messaging and audience characteristics that may help inform public health communication strategies and online anti-stigma campaigns.
Limits
The study relied on a convenience sample recruited through Prolific. The cross-sectional design and retrospective self-reporting of stigma reduction preclude causal inference and are susceptible to recall and social desirability biases. No numerical effect sizes or precision estimates were reported in the abstract.