Tackling implicit and explicit stigma towards voice hearing in clinical psychology students before it enters the workplace: a preliminary brief educational intervention

Abstract

Objective: Hearing voices is a highly stigmatised experience, despite being common across clinical and non-clinical populations. The stigma held by healthcare professions of the clinical populations they work with can have a detrimental impact on the recovery trajectory of people with mental illness, with early career professionals and students thought to have among the most negative attitudes. Method: The current study examined the efficacy of an education intervention to reduce implicit and explicit stigma surrounding voice hearing in psychology students (N = 49). With the world turning to digital delivery methods in the face of COVID-19, the study also examined the impact of intervention delivery mode: comparing online with face-to-face delivery. Results: Results indicated that the education intervention was associated with improvements to explicit–but not implicit–stigma towards voice hearing. Comparisons between education delivery type suggested online and face-to-face delivery methods found no difference in associated reductions to explicit stigma. Conclusions: These findings provide further support for the use of education interventions to reduce stigma surrounding voice hearing and support the online administration of such interventions to allow for more widespread education delivery to a broader audience.