Effects of a Cognitive Schema Account on the Stigma of Schizophrenia: A Study in a French University Student Sample

Background: Amongst people with psychiatric disorders, people experiencing schizophrenia are among those who are victims of high levels of stigmatization. Aims: The present study explored how educational strategies emphasizing different types of etiological accounts of schizophrenia may help reduce the level of stigma towards the pathology. Methods: A total of 378 students were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Three experimental groups were presented with a vignette which introduced one out of three different etiological accounts of schizophrenia (Cognitive distortion, Cognitive Schema, or Biogenetics). The fourth group was presented with a vignette unrelated to schizophrenia. The participants completed questionnaires which measured their attitudes, empathic concern and social distance towards people with schizophrenia, before and after reading the vignette. Results: The "Cognitive Schema" etiological account, which emphasized maladaptive cognitive schemas, was the only one which led to a significant decrease in stigma. The latter decrease was mostly driven by an increase in the level of empathic concern towards people with schizophrenia. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that using cognitive-schema cues may be a promising avenue to reduce the stigmatization of schizophrenia. Future research is warranted which will explore the many factors jointly that explain schizophrenia for use in anti-stigma campaigns