Affective, cognitive, and behavioral mental illness stigma in healthcare: a comparison between general ward nurses and the general population

Stigma from health professionals and the general population can be a barrier in healthcare for people with mental illness. Aim of this study was to compare experiences with and perceptions of people with mental illness between general ward nurses and the general population in the UK as well as the associated mechanisms. Participants were general ward nurses (n = 101) and the general population (n = 116) in the UK who completed a survey for this cross-sectional study. Nurses reported poorer contact experiences with people with mental illness (less positive contact, more negative contact, lower contact quality) than the general population. They also reported greater stigma (more negative attitudes, higher attribution of negative and lower attribution of positive human uniqueness traits to people with mental illness, greater differences between themselves and people with mental illness, lower behavioral intentions). Intergroup anxiety and intergroup empathy mediated the associations between group and contact quality, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Understanding differences in stigma between health professionals and the general population will be important to support people with mental illness in seeking treatment and receiving optimal physical and mental healthcare, as well as to support health professionals in their roles