Qualitative evaluation of an anti-stigma intervention to reduce the impact of stigma in individuals with mental illness
type: CreativeWork
description: Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a group-based, psychoeducational and behavioural modification intervention, Overcoming Stigma in Mood and Anxiety Disorders, in reducing the impact of mental-illness-related stigma. A secondary objective was to explore the nature of behavioural changes that follow the intervention. Methods: Qualitative data was collected from focus groups and coded to generate themes. Thematic analysis was used to develop and modify a Theory of Change model for future program development. Results: Seventeen themes were generated. The themes were exploratory in nature and were categorized under the following sections: living with mental illness, program evaluation, and behavioural change. Conclusion: The results of this study have been encouraging. Qualitative understanding of this anti-stigma intervention can assist with future program development. Understanding the nature of behavioural change can guide development of impactful quantitative surveys for use in a broader evaluation. Enhanced evidence-based anti-stigma interventions can help individuals overcome self-stigma in order to have a full and meaningful life.
abstract: Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a group-based, psychoeducational and behavioural modification intervention, Overcoming Stigma in Mood and Anxiety Disorders, in reducing the impact of mental-illness-related stigma. A secondary objective was to explore the nature of behavioural changes that follow the intervention. Methods: Qualitative data was collected from focus groups and coded to generate themes. Thematic analysis was used to develop and modify a Theory of Change model for future program development. Results: Seventeen themes were generated. The themes were exploratory in nature and were categorized under the following sections: living with mental illness, program evaluation, and behavioural change. Conclusion: The results of this study have been encouraging. Qualitative understanding of this anti-stigma intervention can assist with future program development. Understanding the nature of behavioural change can guide development of impactful quantitative surveys for use in a broader evaluation. Enhanced evidence-based anti-stigma interventions can help individuals overcome self-stigma in order to have a full and meaningful life.
author: Sen, Shamik
language: eng
keywords: Mental Illness, Behavioural Modification, Stigma, Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder
license: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:35:35Z
provider: Queens University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Queens University

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/1974/24881