Impact of Opera on Mental Health Stigma: Pilot of Provider/Community Workshop

Abstract

Background: Arts can influence mental health stigma, but little is known about impact of operas. We examined effects of a two-opera workshop on complicated grief and schizophrenia. Methods: Pre-post audience surveys with post-workshop discussion. The primary outcome was a 4-item measure of willingness to engage with persons with grief or schizophrenia. Secondary outcomes were perceptions of art affecting stigma and stigma mediators. Of 47 participants, 33 had pre-post surveys for both operas. Results: There was a significant pre-post opera increase in audience willingness to engage with persons with grief or schizophrenia (p