Interpersonal Contact and Acceptance of Persons With Psychiatric Disorders: A Research Synthesis

This meta-analytic review predicted and confirmed that interpersonal contact between mental health employees or students and persons diagnosed with psychiatric disorders is associated with improved attitudes toward the latter group. As also predicted, the amount of attitude change was found to be sm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of consulting and clinical psychology 1996-12, Vol.64 (6), p.1387-1396
Main Authors: Kolodziej, Monika E, Johnson, Blair T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceptance
Attitude towards mental illness
Attitudes
Biological and medical sciences
Female
Human
Humans
Interpersonal communication
Interpersonal Interaction
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Medical sciences
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - psychology
Mental Health Personnel
Mental Health Services
Mental Illness (Attitudes Toward)
Mentally ill people
Meta Analysis
Patients
Psychologists
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Role
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Workforce
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Summary:This meta-analytic review predicted and confirmed that interpersonal contact between mental health employees or students and persons diagnosed with psychiatric disorders is associated with improved attitudes toward the latter group. As also predicted, the amount of attitude change was found to be smaller, although still significant, when the evaluative measure described a group of the "mentally ill"rather than specific individuals, and when the respondents were mental health employees rather than students. Contrary to predictions, contact interventions of longer duration were not associated with greater attitude changes. It is concluded that contact interventions occurring in mental health settings are effective in promoting attitude change toward persons with psychiatric disorders, and methodological refinements that should strengthen the effectiveness of future contact interventions are outlined.
ISSN:0022-006X
1939-2117
DOI:10.1037/0022-006X.64.6.1387