Effectiveness and confusion of the Time to Change anti-stigma campaign
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Joby Maducolil Easow; Linda Butterworth; Jason Luty; Abu Abraham; Salman Mushtaq; Palanisamy Ravichandren
- Source
- The Psychiatrist. 34:230-233
- Subject
- Response rate (survey)
Stigma (botany)
Logo
Mental illness
medicine.disease
Mental health
030227 psychiatry
03 medical and health sciences
Psychiatry and Mental health
Politics
0302 clinical medicine
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
medicine
030212 general & internal medicine
medicine.symptom
Psychology
Social psychology
Confusion
- Language
- ISSN
- 1758-3217
1758-3209
Aims and methodSeveral national anti-stigma campaigns have been devised in the UK, including the current Time to Change campaign in England. Our aim was to assess whether the campaign promotional materials were likely to have any effect on public attitudes towards mental illness. Postcards, leaflets and bookmarks promoting the campaign were posted to 250 participants recruited from a representative panel of members of the public. Two weeks later a questionnaire was sent to assess the impact the campaign materials had.ResultsThe response rate was 78%. Only 23% of participants recognised the Time to Change logo after 2 weeks and only 20% correctly reported that one in four people were affected by mental health problems when presented with five alternative responses. Almost as many participants thought the campaign was promoting a British political party rather than discrimination against mental illness.Clinical implicationsA single exposure to Time to Change campaign materials is unlikely to be effective. The title of the campaign is likely to be confused with political campaigning in Britain.